By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Many old timers recall the days of the men in town hanging around the barber shop and talking high school basketball, and certainly in some places that still happens. Years from now when fans are sitting wherever they might be and talking Adams County high school hoops, they will surely remember the Rob Davis era at North Adams.
The successes of Coach Davis and the Lady Devils basketball program over his 23 years at the helm are well-documented, but what may not be as well-known is how the program excels off the court. Wins and losses will fade into history, but the lessons learned in Coach Davis’s program will last for generations for the young women who have donned the Lady Devils’ uniform.
On an evening last week in the midst of preparations for their upcoming sectional tournament game, a group of parents and fans gave this year’s Lady Devils, devising a scavenger hunt around the school that is just another in the long list of activities that the Lady Devil use to build the team chemistry and closeness that makes their teams special.
“We always talk about the family idea that we bring in her,” explains Coach Davis. “With most of my assistant coaches being former players, it’s easy to teach them that it’s more than basketball. Things go on in life that we take for granted. For example, the day that Laynee Davis (Asst. Coach) told me about the situation of a young boy she was going to foster and I came in and explained it to the girls. They’re worrying about playing time and winning games and here’s a little boy that’s looking for a home and Laynee took him in. When he came in, the girls just totally spoiled him without me really telling them all he was going through. Now he’s part of our North Adams family.”
“That’s what I try to bring here, that there is more to life than basketball. Treat people the way that you want to be treated and get through life that way and everything will be good. Our community helps us so much, like feeding us tonight, giving us shirts, etc., so we try to teach the girls to give back to the community what they’ve given to you so when you become a parent, your own kids will see and appreciate the things you do. Appreciate the things you have because life is short, and we aren’t promised tomorrow so just enjoy it and treat people right.”
Throughout his life and before his illustrious coaching career began, there were those who influenced Coach Davis and he brings those lessons to his team every day.
“I’ve read a lot of books, didn’t get through them all because I’m not a big reader,” said Davis. “John Wooden, I’ve read a lot about him with his Bible on his desk and what he preached to his players. Stories I read, I like to bring that stuff here. There’s too much yelling and screaming and yes, I get upset and I’ve learned a lot about that as I grew up. My parents always taught us to play hard and I want to make them proud of our program.”
“Our community follows us wherever we go. When we played in the Elite Eight and it has a two-hour drive in the middle of the week, , our side of the gym was full from top to bottom. If we’re out on the court acting like thugs and idiots, people aren’t going to come and watch that. I’ve told this group to just have fun and play. They all come out and practice hard and I’ll always try to reward them with some minutes, but even if not, there’s no one over there on the bench pouting.”
The Defender sat down with each of the 10 girls on this season’s North Adams roster plus all of the coaches and asked them simply, “What makes the Lady Devils program special and successful?’ Their answers were very similar in the use of the terms “family” and “community” to describe their team and coaching staff.
Harlee Brand (Jr.)- “It’s honestly just the environment here. I think we have more of a family bond than any other team. We do all kinds of different stuff outside of basketball, it’s just a bond and that’s what makes it really special.”
Keetyn Hupp (Sr.)- “I think it’s our community and the way we support each other in every sport. We do several things away from basketball like visiting Monarch Meadows, we do gift bags for different people and we just donate a lot of things to give back to the community.”
Brea Stout (Sr.)- The community and how close we are together. We do so much stuff out of basketball, visiting nursing homes and having dinners, just spending so much time together. We’re all friends and enjoy being together.”
McKenna Shelton (Soph) – “I think our community is just so special because they travel all over to support us. We play in front of big crowds everywhere we go. I just think our team chemistry is great and we go out and do stuff together which makes that chemistry really good. We have fun together and I think that shows on the court.”
Karlie Kennedy (Soph.)- “It’s just like more than basketball, like the community plays a big part in everything we do. It’s like our team is so close because we only have 10 girls and we all know each other on and off the court. Our coaches always preach about family because they are just like our extended family.”
Kenlie Jones (Jr.)- “We have such a great community and great support all around. Since there’s only 10 of us, we’re all super close and comfortable around each other and do a lot of things together. All the team bonding and doing things together allows us to be a team that works together well. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and support each other all the way.”
Taylor Shelton (Jr.)- “Just the community and families around us giving us so much support, inside and outside of the sport. We’re all so close and we have bonded so well every day this season. We can pass the ball better and know where everyone is on the court because we know each other so well.”
Katelynn Boerger (Soph.)- “One thing that makes us stand out from every other team is just the community and the support that we get from everyone. Even when we travel, our side sometimes has more people than the home side and that really shows the love we get. I think another big thing is that even though our numbers were low it makes our connections even stronger, we communicate well and connect. We spend so much time together even outside of practice and the coaches will put together things that really help us build better team chemistry.”
Tatum Grooms (Soph.)- “The team chemistry and our fans, all the community support we get. Everybody here coming together as one and realizing that it’s more than basketball. We’re such a small group that it’s so easy to stick together along the way while we are making lifelong friendships.”
Laney Ruckel (Sr.)- “Coming from somewhere else, it’s just completely different. The community supports us and we have our families involved, it’s just crazy the amount of support we have. Just having 10 of us really helps, we all know what we are going to do and how each other act, anything and everything we’re just all super close. Definitely just one big family.”
Taylor Jodrey is a former North Adams Lady Devil and has been the JV coach for a number of years and shares many of the player sentiments about the program.
“It’s definitely that we are just one big family,” says Jodrey. “We preach that to the girls and when they leave our program, they’re still part of the family. And then no community supports like the North Adams community, they spoil our girls a lot, whatever they can do for us, they are always there. All of the activities outside of basketball builds the chemistry among our girls and we want to instill these ideas in them for when they become mothers, teachers, and community members themselves. We might be small in numbers but that just makes them that much closer.”
Avery Harper is a more recent addition to the North Adams staff, coaching at the junior high level after her careers at North Adams and Rio Grande University, giving her the perspective from both sides of the fence.
“It’s just a family all around,” says Harper. “Everyone is so close and Rob really loves his girls, making us just one big, happy family. “Our fans travel with us everywhere, there’s nothing like walking into a gym and both sides are full, we just can’t find an atmosphere like that.”
The new kid on the block on Coach Davis’s staff is Brady Johnson, a graduate of Peebles High School who is in his first year at North Adams, coaching junior high and being part of the high school staff.
“The sense of family and the sense of community that these girls have makes this program special,” explains Johnson. “Obviously getting to be around an amazing person and coach like Rob is special, I think he makes a lot of difference in just the way he creates the atmosphere and runs the program here, It’s one of the highest standards I’ve seen. Team building and team bonding is huge. When you want to be in that foxhole with that other player, it really helps these girls bond.”
Perhaps the closest perspective to Coach Davis and his program comes from his daughter Laynee, another former Lady Devil who became an elementary school teacher and an assistant coach for her father.
“Our program is so special because we really do treat it as a family,” Laynee explains, echoing the sentiments of the other players and coaches. “We get to know the girls on all levels and incorporate their interests in all aspects. We live in the best community and give back to them by doing outreach projects. Our program is about more than just basketball, but it’s doing life together.”
“This is all just a short time in their lives,” says Coach Davis. “I told them to take all this in and don’t forget, the memories and friendships you’re making. Always remember the good times we had here, that’s what it’s about, They’re competing here, when they go get a job they’re competing , hopefully they take that with them out of here. I learned that growing up from some good coaches- Coach Breeze instilled the toughness, don’t quit, push yourself attitude in me. Coach Courtright was more of the calm type and a very positive guy, but we wouldn’t be 22-0 right now if we just came in here and practiced for two hours and everyone went home. It’s not just me, we’re all in this together and I thank God every day for this opportunity.”
As the years go by, the wins and losses will become part of history, but the bonds and friendship built will never be broken. We can see the success of the North Adams Lady Devils on the court, but the real treat will be to continue to watch the Lady Devils as they move through life and translate their basketball success into life success. You have to like their chances.