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Coaches' Corner
NABC JUCO Reports
March 6, 2001 By Tony Jimenez Trenkle Looks to Return to Coaching Ranks First of all, let's tell it like it is right up front: most athletic directors at four-year schools don't know that much about jucos. Most of them have probably never been on a JC campus, let alone at a two-year school game. Yeah, yeah, they know that the ball's round and that the key is get it through the nets more times than an opponent, but many of them have an anti-JC background planted firmly in their noggin. When it comes time to hire a basketball coach they only get part of the picture when all of those resumes start spitting out of their FAX machines or come across their desks via snail mail. "A lot of them have no juco background whatsoever. They have a stigma about JCs," said Jerry Mullen of Mullen's Roundball Review, the premier juco scouting service based in Olathe, Kan. "Some of them just don't respect JC coaches. They think a juco coach goes after a different type of kid than coaches do at a four-year school. But juco coaches do more, a lot more, than a four-year coach does. "A juco coach has to do it all and a lot of four-year coaches, but not ADs, know that. It's a shame." Thus it's not all that surprising - but, oh, so sad and not right all the same - that one Fred Trenkle's now a substitute teacher in the obscure small western Kansas town of Liberal - best known for its annual International Pancake Race with England - instead of doing what he dearly loves to do, coach. "I don't know what time does to a former coach, but I guess I'll find out," said Trenkle, who's in his second season removed from San Diego State after getting to the winning side 39 percent of the time in five seasons there. "Some NBA coaches fall flat on their faces and then two years later they are the hottest item in the world." "I can't ever remember a head coach or manager in any sport leaving a program with more class and dignity," wrote Nick Canepa in a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune after Trenkle left San Diego State. "There was no bitterness. There were no pot shots taken at anyone at the university or in the community or in the media. Nothing but praise..." "I have a time table set up for what I'm going to do and if it's not going to happen in the few months, well then we'll see," said Trenkle. One glance at Trenkle's resume and it's difficult to figure out why the guy isn't flourishing at a four-year school today. "There are no ghosts in my closet at San Diego State," said Trenkle. "Unfortunately, most people who need to know don't look at all of the other things you did right in a job. They just ask, 'Did he get into the NCAA or NIT tournaments?" "I learned how to take a team from sweeping the floor to getting them on a bus," said Trankle. "We rode a thousand miles to a game and we won and we won. And when it was all over every season we started recruiting right then because winning was expected there." "I played (in 1966-68) for Coach Sutton (when Sutton became CSI's first coach) and I learned how to change and control the tempo of a game. There are certain coaches who take good players and have great teams and some coaches who have great players but good teams. Coach Sutton won no matter what. He and Coach (Boyd) Grant, who I also learned a lot from, got all they could out of their players." Fred's son Swede is an assistant coach at Seward County in Liberal and another, Brady, is a volunteer assistant. "He came here in November to be around his boys," said Seward County Coach Dave Brown. "It's nice to be able to listen to someone on the outside looking in, especially someone who knows the game so well. Hey, this guy's in the National Junior College (Athletic Association) Hall of Fame and so he knows a great deal about the game." Since he left San Diego State and the school hired a bigger name, Steve Fisher, Trenkle has applied for 30 coaching jobs and drawn nothing but blanks. In the meantime he has worked as hard as if he had a job. He has traveled to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Brigham Young, Indiana, Nevada Las Vegas, Missouri and other schools to watch practices and games. "He watches our high schools games in town, too," said Brown. "He just loves the game of basketball." "Being at the Division I level is not the only thing I'm looking at," said Trenkle. "I just want to get to a school that makes a commitment to their program. But normally when you see a job open there is so much going on over, under and around the table, through the press and by the AD. "It's like the decision on a new coach has already been decided before it even opens. You have to be on the ground floor, it seems like. College athletics is a tough business. don't have to go to the biggest program in the country and I don't have to be the top guy. I will go in there and work my tail off if there is loyalty shown by the school. "All I want is another opportunity. I feel like I have a lot to offer." Does Trenkle deserve another chance? Just have him send you his resume and then make a few telephone calls Mr. Athletic Director. Anyone who knows a basketball is round will tell you that Fred Trenkle is as legit as they come. Tip-ins Dennis Helms of Butler County, Kans., who is best known for having coached Larry Johnson (NY Knicks) while both were at Odessa, Texas, JC, recorded the 500th win of his 21-season juco career in late February. Helms had a mediocre 16-15 record in his first season at Butler County, but bounced back with a 24-6 mark and a No. 18 ranking in the final NJCAA regular season rankings this time around... Some of the best coaching jobs fromthe just completed season (with final regular season NJCAA ranking and record): Getting to the top from among 214 DI JCs takes a lot of everything, including good coaching. The former assistant coach at Nevada, head coach at Howard, Texas JC and student manager at Kentucky, Kidder's on the fast track to a mid-major college job. One of the benchmarks of a good coach is winning consistently. Gillespie has coached his last 11 teams to at least 20 victories a season. A class act with a unique personality and a giant sense of humor. How he has slipped through so many mid-major college jobs defies logic. He may be known as Charlie's son, but if Jay keeps this up Charlie's going to be known as Jay's dad. His team started the season 23-0 and was the last of the undefeated teams in the NCJAA Division I ranks. Remember, he got this job not long after last season was history. Don't be fooled by that ranking or record. O'Brien, who is in his sixth season in West Burlington, guided his team to a NJCAA tournament championship in 2000, but had no business getting close to those numbers given he didn't have one returning starter. |
