By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
After coaching high school sports for more than three decades, Chris Dill has taken his coaching to a new level.
A much shorter, more giggly level.
During his career as math teacher at Bowling Green High School, Dill coached boys varsity golf for 35 years, junior varsity baseball for 20 years and junior varsity basketball for 16 years. When he retired from teaching, Dill also hung up his whistle.
That is until he got the call to come out of retirement from coaching to help a new basketball program to get girls at the three elementaries interested in basketball and starting to work on their skills before middle and high school.
Dill was approached by BGHS varsity girls basketball coach Jake Vanneman about leading the Conneaut Elementary team.
“We need to get the girls involved. And I couldn’t think of an excuse fast enough” to turn down the offer, Dill said with a smile.
Before the season started this fall, most of the girls had never played basketball. So the practices started from scratch on basic skills of dribbling, passing and shooting.
“We’re trying to be super positive,” Dill said. “The biggest thing is teaching fundamentals, and that they can have fun.”
By mid November, the girls were fine-tuning their passing skills, faking passes and working on zone defense. But it was a slow process, and the coach tried to keep it light.
“Aim for her hands,” Dill instructed a player during passing drills. “She doesn’t catch very well with her feet.”
Assisting with the team was Jason Zera, whose daughter is on the team. Zera, a former student of Dill’s, was familiar with his coaching style.
“I played baseball for him many moons ago,” Zera said. “He has a lot of patience. He breaks it down so kids can understand.”
The long term goal being that the girls enjoy the game and keep developing their basic skills. Like many young athletes, the girls were full of energy, emotions and questions during practices.
Dill worked to keep them focused. He split the girls into two teams – blue and sherbet – based on the colors shirts they wore to practice.
Some practiced their cheerleading or dance moves, and played with their long hair as they listened.
As they scrimmaged, the girls on one team swarmed the girls on the other team anytime they had the ball.
“Are we allowed to steal the ball?” one girl asked.
And what about the three-second rule? Does that mean players should plan ahead and exit the key after 2½ seconds, another girl asked.
Anytime a basket was scored, the girls let out shrieks.
And anytime a girl limped off the court with an injury, Dill dutifully asked if she wanted to call her mom. Within minutes the girl would inevitably shake it off and rejoin the team.
“You know what the best thing is for an injury? Making a basket,” Dill said, eliciting cheers from the girls.
Bowling Green High School Principal Dan Black, who has a daughter on the team, said the district needs this kind of elementary program to lead to a stronger varsity program.
“This is how good programs function,” Black said. “These are girls who more than likely wouldn’t have a ball in their hands otherwise.”
And it takes people like Dill, who are willing to don a whistle again.
“I think we’re very fortunate to have someone with such great experience,” Black said. “This is all out of the kindness of his heart.”
