Times Advocate, 1991-12-18, Page 17Coaches three high school teams
Basketball is big part of O'Rourke's life
By Fred Groves
EXETER - The tiny office off
of the main gym at South Huron
District High School is over-
stuffed with basketball memo-
ries from 17 years.
Terry O'Rourke moves stacks
of papers off of a chair to make
himself comfortable. Outside
his office in the gym is the
sound of what/
else.... basketballs.
Taking time to relax at
the school is seldom
possible. In the fall he
coaches the senior girls
basketball team and
weeks after that, he's
again knee deep in bas-
ketballs and questions
as he guides both the
junior and senior boys
teams.
While coaching one
team may be a chore for
many, ORourke has
managed to juggle his
time to be the guru of
basketball at South Hu-
ron.
"It's convenient and
it's difficult. It's difficult
for time at home. I
guess it's convenient (or
the school to only have
one teacher away as op-
posed to two.
"It's a lot of basketball
but I've always done it,"
said O'Rourke.
While the girls are
wrapping up their sea-
son the boys have al-
ready begun practices.
The junior and senior
boys' tipoff toumaments
come almost at the tail
end of the girls'- season
so there is a bit of an
overlap.
One thing is for sure,
O'Rourke never has to
shut his mind off from
basketball. He said he
has no preference of which he
would rather coach, girls or
boys.
"I like them both. I don't ad-
just anything. Girls are being
treated the same way in terms of
quality of the program. We don't
scrimp on them, they practice
just as hard."
whether it be boys or girls, de-
pends on its local elementary
schools to develop players at an
early age.
"If [there are] a lot of schools
that have a good feeder program
and you don't, you're already
starting off at a disadvantage.
Around here, being a rural area,
it's also an area where basketball
"We're trying to establish a
tradition by trying to have a
good schedule and trying to
win. This is a predominant
hockey area. I can't say we've
lost a lot of players who have
played hockey....I've always
tried to accommodate both as
much as possible."
Last year the senior boys bas -
maintained, one thing South Hu-
ron has never had is tall players
which for most teams is a must.
"In all the years I've been here
we've never had a lot of height.
The tallest has been six foot five
but we've had some kids that
played tall like Rob Tait. He
really surprised a lot of people."
Terry O'Rourke right; makes a point
Monday's game against Seaforth.
Need to be fed: Any succesful
high school basketball program,
does not have a real tradition."
One way of starting up what
could be a tradition is
O'Rourke's elementary school
program in which he instructs
the youngsters in fundamentals
with the help of some of his
high school hoopers.
He said elementary school
teachers do the best they can,
but they are faced with financial
limitations.
to his senior basketball team
during
ketball team had a very short
bench, there wasn't many
players. Now O'Rourke has as
many as 15 to shuffle in and out
of the lineup.
A year ago there just wasn't
the interest or that many moving
up from junior. But the 1991-92
season looks promising for the
boys as all three won their open-
ing regular season games.
While the interest is being
Stars of the past: Be-
sides Tait, Faye Gaiser and
John McAllister come to
mind as a couple of his out-
standing players.
Gaiser played three years
with McMaster University
and McAllister one season
with Guelph University.
O'Rourke said there
hasn't been a lot of interest
for the South Huron bas-
ketball players to go on and
btadp fora college or a uni-
versity team.
"We've had kids good
enough to make either
college or university teams
but it's a matter of where
they go. Unless you go out
[for the team] the first year
it's pretty difficult to come
back because the others are
ahead of you."
O'Rourke, a native of Te-
cumseh (near Windsor) at-
tended Regina Mundi sec-
ondary school in London
where he played basketball
'before going on to the Uni-
versity of Westem Ontario
and a year of varsity uni-
versity basketball.
He said it's tougher now
to make a university squad
than when he was there.
"'There are more and
.snore better kids. There are
more numbers but the year
I went out there were 90
guys, that's a lot of bodies."
While football has now
become a sport of just
memories at South Huron and
girls field hockey may have
seen it's glory days, who knows
maybe in the not too far future it
will be the basketball teams, un-
der the guidance of ()Rourke
who will begin to dream of per-
fection.
Junior hoopers
blast Seaforth
(see page 36)
-------- Look back,
away back
crystal ball may
be the device used to
look into the future
but for the past 1 like to go to
the library. Sports, being part
of our history, has an inter-
esting past. Here are just a
few things 1 have run across.
The year is 1955, it's Janu-
sidelines
by
Fred
G roves
ary and the Exeter Mohawks are playing against Strathroy.
Some of you may remember these games and others from
days gone by, but being in my early thirties, and not from
around these parts, I've gone to the local library to get a
glimpse 6f the past:
In the account by the Times -Advocate of January 20, Harry
McEwen scored a goal for the Mohawks in a 5-3 loss but also
that same week the "tribe" as they were sometimes called,
beat Forest 10-5.
John Trendell had to go to Strathmy for skates but when he
did arrive he helped set up three third period goals.
From that same edition, many may recall the Zurich Flyers
who this particular week lost a pair of games to Ilderton and
Lucan but beat St. Marys.
Among the goal scorers were Don Hesse, Benny Gignac,
Bob Hayter and Doug O'Brien.
In March of the same year, Doug Smith wrote a column
called 'Ice Chips' which was happenings from the Exeter Me-
morial Arena. Smith told how a group of local teenage boys
borrowed some weightlifting equipment from Jack Doerr and
were starting a club with the assistance of instructor Ken
Lock.
Ten years later, the sports pages of the Times -Advocate re-
veal a column by Jim Russell called For All Good Sports.
I like the name of this column because it indicates the light-
er side of sports.
"Both SHDHS coaches Doug Rickert of the juniors and
Glenn Mickle of the seniors are hopeful that their squads will
make their presence felt in the area loop," wrote Russell.
In other news from January 7, 1965, the Exeter Junior
Hawks won their sixth straight game, improving their record
to 12-1 with a shocking 21-3 win over Petrolia. Craig Chap-
man led the Hawks that night with two goals and six assists.
The Exeter Greys kept up their winning ways in July of
1965 as they beat Brussels 16-3. Pat Down was the winning
pitcher for Exeter.
Still sifting through the sporting archives, I came across a
familiar name in Clare Stanley who is now the president of
the Lucan Junior 'D' Irish.
Back in January of 1970 he was also reporting on the Irish
for the T -A.
"At the gate, the Irish are setting records as the two thou-
sandth fan paid to see the kids in action for an average atten-
dance of 250."
I doubt if the Irish, Hawks or Mohawks can boast numbers
like that now.
Ross Haugh wrote in his column in February 12, 1970 of a
reunion game that would pit the local junior Hawks against
.,sQmelonner Mohawks. Bill Musser and Bob-Baynham were
chi* of organizing this event.
Crediton peewee boys baseball team were stacking up the
wins in June of 1970 as they belted Mitchell 24-13 as Mike
Desjardine and Jeff Jensen handled the pitching duties.
July 3, 1975 saw Buffalo Sabres centre Don Luce along
with Darryl Edestrand and Ted Power as part of a ceremony
to honour the Exeter Legion bantams who won the OMHA 'B'
championship. The team was coached by Ron Bogart.
There were lots of pro hockey players around in 1975 as
Pierre Mondu, a prospect of the Montreal Canadiens,was at
the Huron Hockey School.
In 1980 the Centralia Marauders of the South Huron Inter-
mediate Hockey league were being led by Cec Nickles and
Dennis Carty with 39 and 28 points respectively.
Another top story from Centralia, Joanne Malone was
named to the Ontario Youth Team to compete in Quarter
Horse association championships in Calgary.
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