|
Coaching Intensity
Marty loved coaching,
period. He especially loved basketball and it always showed from the
emotion he displayed from the sideline. He believed that basketball was an
intense sport and was best played at a high level of intensity. Marty was
never a spectator in any game he coached and he never wanted to be
remembered that way. Win or lose, Marty always fought for his teams to the
last second.
For those who watched Marty O'Brien coach basketball for the first time
almost always got the wrong impression. I remember hearing comments
such as:
"How dare he scream, yell and carry on like that, how does he get
away with such behavior."
"Why don't the referees kick him out of the game. How does he get
away with all that?"
"What a jerk. I have never seen anything so disgraceful."
Those and a whole lot more comments were common place when people first
laid eyes on Marty. So just what was it that allowed him to get away
with such a demonstrative coaching demeanor. Simply put, Marty loved
those kids and the kids loved Marty. They knew Marty always had
their best interest at heart and they knew he would always do everything
humanly possible to support them. In return, they always gave him
100% on and off the court. There were so many things that people
never saw Marty do, just not for his team, but for all kids. He gave
countless hours of time, hard work and his own money for the betterment of
Ephrata's young people. This was how he gained the respect, loyalty
and confidence of all Ephrata students/athletes. This was why kids
loved playing for him.
Many spectators made negative assumptions about Marty that were based only
on what they saw during the games. It was those negative remarks
that would make their way to the Superintendent's office. Marty
joked that he was often "called on the carpet" and that his file
was always the thickest, filled with complaints, and that a second file
cabinet had to be brought in just for his file alone. Marty knew
that he didn't need to worry as long as he had the confidence of the kids
in his corner. |
|
It's Discrimination
I will never forget
something Marty said to me one night after a basketball practice in the
old Ephrata gym. We were talking about a few parents constant
complaints over his show of emotion during the games were constantly
nipping at his heels. He made the point that there were other other
coaches who could say the exact same thing as he did and they would never
get a harsh word said to them. Since most of those coaches possessed a
laid back demeanor in comparison to his, he was constantly under the
administrative microscope.
"It's discrimination," he said.
I knew what he had meant. It was his nature to coach with strong
emotion and intensity. That was how he was built. He came that
way. Anything else and you would not have Marty O'Brien. For Marty to sit
quietly and watch the game was no more possible than asking a deaf man to
hear. There are basketball coaches who could not succeed using the
same demeanor as Marty's. It wouldn't be in their nature. Marty knew
how he was built used it to his advantage whether other's liked it or not.
Coaches like Marty are a dying breed. Today, it is too much about
appearances and not making waves. It's about making everyone look
good and so high octane coaches do not have a long shelf-life in high
school basketball today. |
|
Big Rivalries
Marty made for some classic
rivalries throughout the league. Not only was it about beating the
other team, it was also about watching the coaches compete against each
other. That was just as much fun to watch as the game itself.
Needless, to say anything about rivalry with the Quincy Jackrabbits.
That game was worth any amount of money to watch. Quincy had a
top-notch coach of its own in Jim Spence. Both coaches competed with
each other from the bench and this made for great high school
basketball. Large crowds packed the gyms. During these early
years, the same could have been said about Bill Kelly and Steve Biehn from
Cashmere, Robbe Pitts from Chelan, Mike Thacker from Tonasket, Steve
Chamberlin at Okanogan and Sam Willsey from Leavenworth. Upsets were
very common during this era. The Caribou Trail League was at its highest
peak of excitement during this time. People like Marty O'Brien were
responsible for making the CTL and District 6 one of the best
"A" leagues in the state of Washington. |
|
At Ephrata
The community of Ephrata
will never be able to shake Marty O'Brien. He is permanently
ingrained in its past, present and future. We can never forget what he
represented because if we do, we are all diminished. Our future's
will be diminished. He gave so much of himself to the community and
school. He help put Ephrata on the map. Let's make a conscience
effort to never forget the good things he stood for. I think it is
safe to say that we are all better for having known Martin Dion O'Brien. |