Lake Country This Month

Prep basketball had a weird feeling when the sea- son began. Playing four, eight- minute quarters is now a thing of the past in Wis- consin high school basket- ball. With changes to the WIAA rulebook over the offseason, teams now play two 18-minute halves, essentially adding an extra two minutes of basketball in each half. For some teams — espe- cially those with a deep roster — the extra time comes as a big advantage. Coaches are able to get valuable minutes out of their benches while starters are able to rest for a longer duration before re- entering the basketball game. I think it requires a majority of every team to play a role in each game. It's something that so many coaches preach about; getting the most out of their benches and earn- ing gritty team victories. For other teams, it may not be the greatest of changes, at least initially. The transition to halves — I'm sure — had to take some getting used to. There's no more break in action after just eight min- utes of play. Coaches have to use different coaching strategies to get the most out of every player on their team. Before — barring foul trouble — starters could play an entire quarter, half, or even a full game. Now, valuable pieces to most teams are almost assured of taking a rest on the bench at some point within the 36 minutes. This puts a strong emphasis on coach- es making the right deci- sion in terms of substitut- ing kids and spreading minutes out. As I spoke to various coaches around the Wauke- sha County area about their opinions on the switch, it seems they agree that it's for the best. The majority of coaches I spoke to on the issue told me they enjoy the flow of the game much more than they did with four quar- ters. Previously, the break between quarters had an ability to take momentum away from a team that had been thriving. The game flow is a lot more exciting with halves and doesn't penalize a team that's been doing well in the game. If something's working, teams are able to keep emphasizing it for the half, or until the opposing coach elects to take a timeout. Which is one thing that hasn't changed. Coaches are allotted the same num- ber of timeouts per half as they would through two quarters of play last sea- son. Although running out of timeouts has never been a major issue, I think a big difference is that coaches have to adjust and strate- gize exactly when's the cor- rect time to use a timeout. The other thing that seems different with the changes is the amount of fouls. While I haven't yet looked into the comparison of previous season, from a spectators' perspective it seems there are far more fouls and in tur n, more free throws. More than ever, teams have to perfect their free-throw shooting. It's an old saying, sure, but it rings true with the changes: Games are won and lost at the free-throw line. I've seen a handful of games thus far where teams are shooting in the bonus with over 10 minutes to play in a half, making every trip to the charity stripe ever so valuable. A lot of that has to do with the foul limit remaining the same. The foul limit stays intact for each half, which means getting early fouls likely will haunt you down the stretch. I think that's an issue the WIAA will have to look into fur- ther for future seasons, as it can make it difficult to play defense a lot of the time. Regardless, I believe the switch to halves was the right move. It truly elevat- ed the potential for an even more exciting game. Next on the agenda, a shot clock? Email: cbucher@conleynet.com (Chris Bucher is The Free- man's assistant sports editor.) Page 4B • FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY January 2016 By Chris Bucher Freeman Staff WALES — Jack Hervert was looking for a new challenge. With that in mind, it was a no-brainer for Hervert — who spent 25 years coaching the University of Wiscon- sin-Waukesha's girls bas- ketball team to nine Wis- consin Junior College Ath- letic Association champi- onships — to apply for the vacant girls basketball coach job at Kettle Moraine High School. It was a transition you typically don't see many coaches make; from college to high school. But it was one Hervert sought out and was ready for. He wanted something new, something to spark himself. "When I first started doing this stuff many years ago, I was someone who always relished new chal- lenges," Hervert said. "As an instructor at Waukesha, I try to teach different courses every semester." At Waukesha, Hervert won over 550 games and has 18 conference titles to show for it. In 1999, Hervert was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Associ- ation Hall of Fame and proved his worthiness the next 10 seasons. From 1999- 2009, the Cougars won an unprecedented 123 straight conference games. Hervert's connection to Kettle Moraine had grown over the years, too. Previ- ously spending time around the school and having built relationships with a few of those associated, the com- munity and atmosphere wasn't new. "Greg Vock coached at KM was the AD (athletic director). Jack was pretty close to Greg," Kettle Moraine Athletic Director Mike Fink said. "I always remember Jack being around when (Greg) was coaching. (Jack) would bounce things off of (Greg). It wasn't unusual to take kids over (to UW-Waukesha) and practice. Jack was always around." So when the role of coach opened up after Mike Hamilton — who spent two years as the Lasers' coach before landing a video coor- dinator job at UW-Milwau- kee — left the program, Hervert jumped at the chance. It's been a tough task to find the right coach to mold with Kettle Moraine's usu- ally dominant girls basket- ball program that's appeared in six WIAA state tournaments. Since 2011, the team has had three coaches. That's why when Hervert's application arrived, Fink knew how important it was to get him in for an interview and see how he'd click, though he sort of already knew the answer. After all, it wasn't Fink's first time discussing Hervert as the Lasers' coach. In 2013 after Janine Emmer resigned following one season, Fink and Hervert had a similar dis- cussion before KM eventu- ally hiried Hamilton. "I called Jack to see if he was interested," Fink said. "He told me that any other year he'd jump at the oppor- tunity, but had commit- ments to the girls (at Waukesha). He promised to see them through for the next two years, and he did." In 2013-14, Hervert coached the Cougars to first place in the Wisconsin Col- legiate Conference and another state title. When the time came again to hire a new coach, the search committee — comprised of players, par- ents and administrators — found its man in Hervert. "A huge part of it was how much experience he had," Lasers senior Brea Perron said. "Whenever you have a college coach coming to high school, it kind of turns the eye, especially with the downward spiral our program was having. One of the things that impressed me was in the interview when he said that if he got the job, he's here to stay. "In four years of high school basketball, he's the third head coach of our pro- gram. So to know there's someone that plans on stay- ing and is in it for the long haul, it was awesome." After impressing those in attendance at the interview, Hervert was offered the job. But when rethinking his decision, he was inspired by remembering the things his late mother did to keep a strong work ethic. She worked until she was 77 years old, and Hervert said he wanted to try to follow in her footsteps. "I thought about not coaching anymore, basket- ball-wise, and taking some time away when this came up," Hervert said. "I was clearly reminded of how much I am like she was. I wasn't going to be able to sit and do nothing as much as I was sure I was going to take the job. After I talked to her I was pretty convinced, because I knew I was nowhere near being done with this, I just needed something new to spark me and stir up my creative instincts." And just like that, Hervert got the chance to try to write another chapter in his illustrious coaching career. "This isn't my experience and it's nobody else's but the kids," Hervert said. "I didn't take this position because I felt I needed to be prove anything. I wanted to share the experience with great kids and a great school. Everything we're doing isn't about furthering a résumé, it's about doing this for the Kettle Moraine community and for the kids. "It's their experience and I hope each day they have a positive experience and learn a lot, whether it's on or off court. That's the core of why I made the decision that I did." As the practices started and the season got under- way, its became clear to Fink that he made a great hire. "I've told numerous peo- ple that he may be the most positive person I've ever met no matter the situa- tion," Fink said. "He's always looking on the bright side of things rather than the backside of things. One of the things that impressed me the most was when we talked about tech- nical fouls. He said he has one in 35 years and he got it because he was telling an official one of his kids was being too physical." So far, it's been a rousing success. The Lasers have a 5-2 overall record and are tied for first place in the always competitive Classic 8 Conference with Wauke- sha West, both with 4-0 con- ference marks. After upset- ting Mukwonago, 55-53, in their first Classic 8 game, the Lasers haven't stopped winning. One of Hervert's biggest points of emphasis is that every player on the team plays a role in the outcome. He's built his career on get- ting the most out of every player on the roster and that — along with his style of running and scoring in transition and strong post defense — often breeds suc- cess and it's no different at Kettle Moraine, even with no shot clock like the col- lege game has. "My mindset coming in was that every kid is going to learn how to make plays," Hervert said. "Even without a shot clock, it's important that every kid has the opportunity to break a defense down, cre- ate situations on offense and keep a high tempo on defense. We're so much more dangerous when every kid can create." Following the big victory over the Indians, Fink said he noticed an ecstatic Hervert. "I shook his hand, put my arm on his shoulder and said, 'Welcome aboard,'" Fink said. "'Thanks for hir- ing me, I'm having a blast,' was his response. I think he's really rejuvenated." Hervert said the transi- tion to coaching high school basketball has been a seam- less, thrilling one thus far. He said he's truly having the time of his life and it's only grown his love for the game. "I feel like I'm 29 again," Hervert said. "This really was the right thing for me to do and it came at the right time. I've always enjoyed my life and my time at Waukesha, but now I kind of know that I'm going to be coaching for an awful long time yet." For the players, it's been a breath of fresh air, even after having to learn a new system, a new philosophy and adjust to a new coach- ing style. "He's very positive with every single player on the team," Lasers senior Ant Muzi said. "He's very ener- getic and likes to get us going. We play at a fast pace and I think that helps all of us. In practices we do a lot of drills that help to pre- pare us more for games. That wasn't really the case last year. He's a positive influence on all of us." Perron said Hervert's pas- sion doesn't stop after games or practices, either. It's an around-the-clock job and he's been doing his best to take advantage of that. "It's very obvious he cares about us as people before basketball," Perron said. "He wants us all to get good grades, eat healthy and get a healthy mixture of practice and schoolwork. He cares so much about us as people." With the result of the sea- son still up in the air, one thing remains true: If you're playing opposite of Hervert's Lasers team, you'll have to bring every- thing you've got. "Whether we win or lose, we're going to make (the opposing team) play," Hervert said. "We're not going to be passive. If things are happening, adjustments will be made and we'll put more effort into always keep people off guard. It's been exciting so far, and it's only going to get better." Email: cbucher@conleynet.com Coach makes switch from college to high school Hervert seeking a change of pace Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Kettle Moraine girls basketball coach Jack Hervert points while he coaches from the bench during a game against Waukesha North on Dec. 11. Halves in high school basketball a great thing Rule change is what's best for basketball CHRIS BUCHER Lake Country is your home... READ ALL ABOUT IT! 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