Coach: Bob Caton
High school: Highlands Ranch
Sport: boys basketball
What made you decide you wanted to become a coach in your
present sport?
The school is just great. The students-players are a pleasure to
work with. For the first time I am actually close to the school I
am coaching at. I can actually ride my bike to school.
Describe one of the best moments you can remember from your
coaching career?
I was coaching the Rolling Cowboys (wheelchair) basketball team,
and I had a young man who came back from a serious accident. He got
to the point where he could play wheelchair basketball, and he did
it to a degree that he made the All-Tournament Team in a national
tournament. This was a player who was a very good high school
player before his accident.
What was one of the most heartbreaking moments of your coaching
career?
The state championship game, losing by one point on two
free-throws with 2 seconds left in the game.
If a young athlete came to you and said he/she was interested in
a career as a coach, what advice would you give him/her?
Be patient. Be patient with the players and with yourself. It’s
all about the journey.
What do you do for fun that isn’t related to the sport you
presently coach?
Play with the grand children. The family is very important. I
like being with my kids, the grand kids and the wife.
What is the toughest decision a coach in your sport has to make
on a fairly consistent basis?
Playing or not playing your players and/or cutting players from
basketball. I wish they could all play and be great players,
but…
If you could coach for any professional sports team for one
year, which would it be and what changes would you make?
Not sure I could coach for a pro team, but if I had to and had
to make a change, I would try to get them to play team ball and
move without the ball. One of my favorite teams is the 1969 New
York Knicks; (Walt) Frazier, (Dave) DeBussherre, (Bill) Bradley,
(Willis) Reed, (Dick) Barnett. They knew how to play team ball.
Your present team just won the state championship. What do you
(and/or the team) do to celebrate the achievement?
We would have a celebration party at Big Bill’s New York Pizza.
Eat lot’s of pizza.
Any thoughts about high school sports in Colorado in
general?
If there was one change I would do in high school sports, I
would eliminate weekday games. All games and all levels would be
played on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. It can be done. I
do not think that students should be out on school nights.