Lions’ future in Degroot’s hands
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For the past four years, Jim Degroot was working basketball camps,
never really thinking he would ever be a head coach. In Frenchtown,
which is just outside of Missoula in Montana, Degroot also
contributed to building a new church and also found his calling in
speaking to teens about abstinence from sex until marriage.
For four years, Degroot became one with his family and grew
stronger in his beliefs.
Meanwhile at Vanguard University, the men’s basketball team went
through the Cameron Dollar experiment in regard to the head coach
after Bill Reynolds finished his time with the Lions. Then for the
past four years, Stephen French was the man in charge. And, in the
past two seasons, the team was marred by two players quitting and
then this season, the Lions took on a losing mentality that led to
French’s firing in midseason.
In the past, the timing didn’t seem right for Degroot to become
Reynolds’ successor, but now, apparently the timing seems to be
perfect for Degroot to take over the Lions’ men’s basketball program.
“I always thought Jim would be a good fit,” Vanguard Athletic
Director Bob Wilson said. “The job has been open twice and both times
Jim wasn’t able to pursue it. I called him this time and asked him if
he was interested. He said this was a time in his life he could get
back into coaching and he ended up being the person we selected.”
Degroot has quite the challenge ahead of him in this his first
head coaching stint. The Lions finished 7-24 this past season. But
the new coach is convinced that he can improve Vanguard because he
has Wilson to help him.
Degroot and Wilson share a friendship that started when Degroot
played for Wilson at Phillips University in Oklahoma. Degroot, who is
originally from Costa Mesa, also played for Wilson at Hawaii-Hilo.
“The No. 1 reason I came to coach at Vanguard is Bob Wilson,”
Degroot said. “He’s been a loyal guy to me. He helped me get through
school. He’s been a big influence for me. If it was any other place I
would not coach.”
Degroot, who is a single father of two children, grew up in Costa
Mesa and he said he’s been wanting to come back to Orange County. He
moved to Colorado while in high school and became one of the best
prep players in the state.
“He was a great leader,” Wilson said of Degroot as a basketball
player. “He was by far the best competitor I ever coached. He was a
6-foot-5 point guard and he just knew how to make everyone around him
better.”
Wilson and the Lions are now hoping Degroot can do the same at
Vanguard, but this time he has to do it with a clipboard and pen.
However, it seems Degroot is a bit behind schedule. He won’t really
start working until he comes to Vanguard, Wednesday, and even then
Degroot will be traveling back and forth from Montana to Costa Mesa
until the summer.
“I would like to be there right now,” Degroot said. “We’ve been
doing some work and some recruiting work over the phone. I’m feeling
all right about it. I believe we have a good core of guys coming
back. I think there will be improvement. I feel that we’re a little
late, but that’s OK. Overall, I’m feeling good.”
Degroot said he wants to establish an inside game eventually for
the Lions.
“You win championships from the inside,” said Degroot, who last
coached at the collegiate level as an assistant at Hawaii-Hilo before
his four years of ministry-type work in Montana. “You can win some
games with the three-point shot but you have to get it inside.”
It’s not for certain if the Lions will have that inside game next
season, since Degroot has not been able to recruit as much as he
would have liked to. However, Vanguard believes it has found the man
to turn things around for the men’s basketball program.
* In Vanguard baseball, Coach Kevin Kasper’s Lions have an
opportunity to get over .500 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
The Lions improved to 10-10 after sweeping a doubleheader over
Westmont Wednesday. Vanguard will host Azusa Pacific in a
doubleheader that starts at noon. APU is fourth in the GSAC at 13-10,
while Vanguard is in sixth.
The Lions feature senior Joe Carnahan, who leads Vanguard with a
.389 batting average, which ranks fourth in the GSAC. Pitcher Matt
Caston, a junior right-hander, has a team-leading 1.91 ERA, which is
second in the GSAC.
Caston is 5-1 on the season, while Kaleo Lopez, a junior
left-hander, has a team-best 6-1 pitching record.
* In Vanguard softball, Coach Beth Renkoski’s Lions (22-18-1,
9-12 in the GSAC) will try to break out of its four-game losing
streak when they play at Point Loma Nazarene Saturday in a
doubleheader that starts at noon. Lindsey Dyer leads the Lions with a
.419 batting average.
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