LANGLEY — Some people make great teachers. Others are superlative coaches.
South Whidbey High School math teacher Andy Davis excels at both disciplines.
Davis was named Friday as the new Falcon girls basketball coach, replacing Henry Pope, who is taking over the boys team when the season begins in November.
It’s going to a busy year, since Davis also is co-coach of the Falcon football team with Mark Hodson.
“I can’t turn down a challenge,” Davis said on Saturday. “I love coaching basketball, boys or girls, and this is an opportunity I can’t pass by.”
Davis began teaching and coaching at Prosser High School 20 years ago, then at South Whidbey when he moved here in 2000. His wife Lisa teaches at the elementary school, son Beck is a freshman in high school and daughter Morgan is a seventh-grader at Langley Middle School.
Davis coached the Falcon boys basketball team for seven years until 2007, when he took a year off, then switched to football.
His biggest challenge is getting participation up.
“I need to get more girls on the court, get more enthusiasm going,” he noted. “I think being in the building as a teacher will help, since I’m around them every day.”
Davis believes that a strong work ethic can be instilled in players, while at the same time they can have fun competing.
“I think sports provides opportunities about teamwork, good sportsmanship and the value of hard work,” the coach said. “Combine those qualities, and you can field a team that can achieve anything.”
And team chemistry cannot be overstated, according to Davis.
“I hope to generate a sense of caring between players; the degree to which athletes bond with each other can be the difference between winning and losing,” he added.
Davis will have his hands full. Last year, the girls team posted a miserable 3-17 record, one slot from the bottom of the Cascade Conference cellar. Only Lakewood was worse after its 1-18 season.
“I see my job as providing clear expectations, being fair and consistent,” Davis said. “At the high school level, each individual is valuable — regardless of the sport — and when each realizes that fact, a trust is built that leads to success on the field, diamond or court.”
Fans can expect a new attitude on the court this year.
“I want the girls to score as fast and as often as possible, make the rebound, quickly transition to offense with a half-court or full-court press and score again,” Davis said. “You can look for a team that is playing aggressive on both ends of the floor; hopefully we can play at a fast pace and put some points up on the board.
“Our style of basketball will be really fun to watch, and I believe that once our kids get used to it, we will find great success.”
Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or jvanderford@whidbeynewsgroup.com.
