‘He’s taught me so much’: Columbus-area players learn from parent coaches
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Westerville Central head coach Kevin Martin (left) watches his son Devin dribble downcourt in a game earlier this season. Photo: Kevin Lam
Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part story. Please check out the first part here.
During a practice against the Teays Valley boys basketball team, Kennedy Younkin backed down a defender and let go of a baby hook shot and scored.
The senior standout committed to East Tennessee State turned and pointed to her father, Trevor, the coach of the Vikings girls basketball team.
It was one of the first moves the elder Younkin taught his daughter many years ago.
“I did the move against the boys during a practice – they were helping us out,” Kennedy said. “I did the move and pointed to (my dad) and said, ‘That was for you.’ It was one of those moments where what he’s taught me, I applied. I love playing for him because he’s taught me so much. If I hadn’t played for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Kennedy Younkin is making her father proud.
Trevor is in his fifth season with Teays Valley after previously coaching the boys program at Westfall.
He coaches another daughter in freshman forward Kenzington Younkin, who swings between varsity and junior varsity, playing mostly with the latter.
Kennedy can always tell how her father feels about her play.
“She’s learned a lot from me and deep down I’ve learned a lot from her,” coach Younkin said. “She said if I do something wrong or miss a shot or don’t get the rebound, she said, ‘I could always tell by your body language. You might not have said anything, but (I could tell how you felt) by your body language.’ That’s just her knowing me. As a coach, players learn a lot about you – they know you just as well as I (get to) know them. (My body language is) one thing I never really thought about before.”
But it’s not all basketball for the Younkins.
“I’m really big into 4-H, so I do a lot with livestock – pigs, goats and cows,” Kennedy said. “He’s always out there in the barn helping me out with that. We also do crops. So, when it comes to harvesting and planting – we have fun when we do that. We leave basketball on the court and leave home life here at home.”
Teays Valley’s Kennedy Younkin (2nd from left) scrambles for a loose ball during the Vikings game against DeSales earlier this season. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Family of Jaguars
Cade Norris has not only learned a lot about the game from his father, Brett, but he’s learned from his three older brothers.
The Norris’ are a basketball family. Cade, a senior guard with Hilliard Bradley is the third of four to have played for Brett after Braden (2018 graduate), Keaton (2021 graduate) and Kypton, who is an eighth-grader.
Braden started his career at Oakland (Michigan) University, but has played his last four seasons at Loyola Chicago where he’s currently a graduate student. Keaton is in his third season at Wright State.
“My oldest (brother) has been through it all,” said Cade, who is committed to play at Illinois State next season. “They’ve both been through the NCAA tournament, so they know what that’s like. They’ve played for my dad, so they know what that’s like. Sometimes when he’s tough on me, I reach out to them and get advice. It’s definitely something that’s an advantage that some other (players) don’t have. It’s a big plus.”
Both Brett and Carrie played college ball at the University of St. Francis (Indiana). While the days of a family game have gone by the wayside with age, they still find their way to the gym as a group around Christmas.
“The four boys and the two of us (Carrie and myself) might have a game of three-on-three halfcourt,” said Brett, who is in his 10th season coaching the Jaguars. “But it got to the point where there was no one either one of us could guard – my wife and I – and I said, ‘Enough.’ So, we have a free throw competition and that’s as far as I’ll go.”
Coaching his sons through the years, Brett has learned a little more how to handle it a little better each time.
“Whether it’s AAU or high school – there’s been a lot of coaching them the last 16 years,” he said. “My antenna is up because I’ve done it over the years. Believe me, the good outweighs the bad – it’s not even close. Anybody that claims that it’s an easy thing is lying.
“I tend to be highly competitive. So, I think the challenge is not bringing it home and not allowing the coach in you to impact the father in you. As it is most of the time – it’s the adult that can mess it up. It’s not the kid. I would say that I’m much better at it now than I was with our oldest.”
Hilliard Bradley’s Cade Norris splits the double team during a game against Hilliard Davidson earlier this season. Photo: Kevin Lam
‘He really inspired me’
Coaching a son on the boys basketball team is one thing – Newark’s Jeff Quackenbush and Westerville Central’s Kevin Martin do that. Martin coaches his son, Devin, a senior guard with the Warhawks, while Quackenbush’s son, Jake, is a sophomore guard with the Wildcats.
But the two coaches also have daughters on the girls teams in freshman guard Emma Quackenbush and sophomore post Ella Martin. Making it to their games is problematic.
Westerville Central athletic director Andy Ey maneuvered the Warhawks’ schedules to help Kevin see more of Ella’s games.
“We played quite a few boy-girl doubleheaders – as many as other teams would allow us to play,” coach Martin said. “(Ey) worked really hard to schedule games on different nights or girl-guy doubleheaders. Last year, I think I only missed six of her games. This year, it’ll be eight or maybe nine.”
Quackenbush, who also serves as Newark’s athletic director, had already mastered the art of parenting and scheduling when former Wildcats’ girls coach J.R. Shumate had children going through both basketball programs.
“This year, I’ll be able to schedule 11 games,” Jeff Quackenbush said. “We’ll work with some other ADs as they get older to try to schedule some games where we can see more. We did that a lot for coach Shumate when J.T. was playing for me and he had Emma and Katie playing for him. I have a pretty big family that’s there to support too and my wife (Dorah) is going to all road games this year. The games I miss I’ll be able to watch on film too.”
Devin and Ella Martin work out together in the offseason.
“It gets a little crazy on game nights when everyone is playing,” Devin Martin said. “But it’s sort of fun. In the offseason, we workout together – just shoot together and some other things. I’ve learned a lot from her. I’ve learned how to be more of a leader from her.”
Ella learned a lot of her game from her dad, but found her love of the game through her brother.
“My brother has had a big impact on my game as well,” Ella Martin said. “Ever since I was little, I’ve always gone to watch his games. I think he is what started how much I enjoy basketball. I always kind of followed his lead. If he was going outside to shoot, I’d go outside to shoot. He really inspired me to really work on basketball.”
The love of the game is the special bond between basketball families. That’s why enjoying these moments together is so important to the Norris’.
“I can say for sure that my dad will be the best coach I’ve ever had,” Cade Norris said. “I’ve played a year with my older brother (Keaton) as a freshman. I wish now that I really lived in the moment more and not taken that for granted. That’s what I’d say now (to other people) is don’t take it for granted.”
Hilliard Bradley head coach Brett Norris talks to his team during a timeout, including his son Cade (far left) in a game earlier this season. Photo: Kevin Lam