Hoops Not Only Thing In Common For Blews

Relationships between fathers and daughters aren't always easy. The same can be said for interaction between a coach and player. But when dad coaches daughter it really gets complicated. Just ask coach Brad Blew and his daughter Taylor, a senior at Farmington. They've always had a rock-solid relationship built on love and trust but when basketball and emotions were involved, it sometimes led to pain. "One time when I was coaching her in ninth grade I got after her pretty good after a game," said coach Blew. "I was wrong. I ate some crow and went back and fixed it the next day." Blew said he learned quickly that most parents go one of two ways when coaching their kids. "They're either really hard on them or really promote them," Brad said. "I've certainly wanted her to earn her merits. But when she was younger, I was too hard on her. I just got more comfortable with it." Taylor said she wouldn't want to play for anyone else. "I used to sit behind the bench and keep the scorebook when I was younger," she said. "Now it feels so good to have been a three-year starter for him." Still, no player likes to hear criticism from the coach. "He coached me through pee wee and AAU, starting in fourth grade," Taylor said. "He's much harder on me (than other players). If he wasn't yelling at me, I'd think something was wrong." Lori Blew, wife and mother to the protagonists, was caught in the middle. "It seems like Brad had one really good meltdown back when Taylor was young," Lori said. "I'd talk to her and tell him this is how she looked at the problem. There hasn't been a problem since she was in ninth grade." They decided to leave basketball at the gym. "If we talk basketball at home, it's always positive," Taylor said. "Mostly," said Brad, whose 14-year-old son Bo also plays basketball, "it's just family time at home." Coach Blew, quicker to offer a joke or story than a disparaging remark, said coaching Taylor has been like a Mastercard commercial. "It's priceless," he said. "The opportunity to coach Taylor is something I'll cherish forever." Blew won the 2004 state championship and reached the finals in 1998 and 2003. He's been at Farmington 22 years and is also athletic director. "It's been a wonderful ride," he said. "We've had a lot of support." Lori, a math teacher for 24 years, is math coach and preps students and teachers in Grades 3-8. Bo has her flair for academics and Taylor also wants to be a teacher. "Taylor's a tough kid and loves basketball," Lori said. "She's a team player." That includes defending her dad. "I'm really protective when (other players) talk bad about him," Taylor said. Of course, withering remarks have been directed at her, too. "I've heard, 'You only play because you're the coach's daughter,'" Taylor said. "Now I just blow it off." "She's a good high school player, pretty steady," coach Blew said of his 5-foot-5 guard. The entire journey has been fun to watch, as a wife, mother and cheerleader, Lori said. "Brad's gotten to mentor Taylor and her friends," Lori said. "It's fun to see him interact with them." So how is coach Blew viewed by his starting guard? "He's real understanding," Taylor said. "He's tries to understand where you're coming from. He's not just a coach; he's a friend to the girls." Taylor said she knows what play coach Blew will call before he does it. "We feed off each other," she said. "It's really cool." Those special moments will be gone when the season ends. "I can't even imagine what that'll be like," Taylor said. "It'll be really, really sad. I'm like 'daddy's little girl.' "Everyone always says I'm just like him."