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OGDEN -- There are lots of places Joe Cravens could have coached basketball again if he wanted to, but it's only when the job at St. Joseph's bounced his way that he truly started thinking about it. St. Joseph's high school, that is--the girl's team.
"At the end of the day, it seemed like the right and natural thing to do," said Cravens at the Ogden school's gymnasium.
Cravens last coached four years ago. He is the former men's basketball coach at the University of Utah, University of Idaho, and Weber State University. After leaving coaching, he got into broadcasting, but always held basketball camps.
When he held a basketball camp at St. Joseph's, the school's athletic director started getting a crazy idea.
"You're always afraid to ask somebody who has been there, done that, to come down and coach a small high school," said Alex Salvo, St. Joseph's athletic director. "You don't want to be embarrassed."
When parents started talking to Cravens, though, he decided to take the job.
"I'm doing this for the same reason I got into coaching some 34 years ago," said Cravens, "It's to teach, to be around young people, to feel like you have an impact and an influence on them."
Salvo couldn't believe it.
"It's a dream come true for our program," said Salvo.
St. Joseph's principal, Norm Allred, still doesn't believe it.
"Many people, even more than me, were like, ‘Really? He did what?'" Allred said.
Allred says hiring Cravens fits in line with what the school is trying to do. It has college-level professors on staff to teach science and math classes. Having a coach with college-level experience only adds to the school's overall idea of offering students the best possible education.
"He has that level of experience where the game is played at the college level, and at a higher level of competition," said Allred.
Cravens can't wait to get going.
"I've caught myself the last week on several nights going to bed and thinking about what we can run on offense and how I'm going to structure practice," said Cravens.
St. Joseph's Catholic High School is a small, 1-A school, but the sports programs have won several state championships. Even the girls' basketball team has won recent titles. Cravens says it's hard not to notice the championship banners hanging in the school's gym.
"The standard is pretty high here," said Cravens, "I'm a little nervous about measuring up, to be quite honest with you."
At this level, though, he says teaching is just as important as championships.
The team's first practice is this coming Monday. The school doesn't cut any players who try out for the team. Cravens says that means he will truly get to teach them, which is what he says he misses the most.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
