Editor's Cut: Jack Keefer

I'll just come out and say it...I'm a relatively young guy, 24 years old to be exact. And to make things just a little more interesting for me in the working world, nobody would think I'm 24 unless I'm wearing a full three-piece suit. Maybe. It's gotten to the point where it's amusing at times, really. When I was 18 or 19 and people thought I was 15 or 16, it bothered me. Of course it did, I was a senior in high school and at that stage, older is cooler. And not that I'm some old sage these days by any means, but when I walk into a local high school and people mistake me for a student, I laugh. Because it's funny, and frankly, I don't really blame them. This little excerpt leads me to bring you an HSSTM editor's cut, giving you an inside look at interviews and experiences from our work at the magazine. In the current December issue, I sat down with Lawrence North boys basketball coach Jack Keefer for "Grill"...here's some unpublished quotes and thoughts from talking with the well-known coach of a perennial power. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personally, I had never met Jack Keefer prior to last month. That's relevant because, in this business, it's all about relationships and building trust. And with my "age discrepancy" disclaimer above, that adds to it. I'm going to walk into an interview and this guy is going to think I'm in the introductory journalism class for the LN school paper. Of course I knew about Keefer and his program at LN. Living in Indiana and covering high school sports, how could I not? But it never ceases to amaze me how people can judge somebody, judge a school, or judge a program when they are on the outside looking in. Or when they've never met somebody or talked with them before. About the only exception to this rule is Barry Bonds. You hear the opinions of certain people or vast blanket statements about Keefer and his program at LN. I did not grow up around here, so all of my experience with this comes from the past 3-4 years. Having never met the man or spoken with him, the only professional and realistic way to approach the interview was to act like I had no idea who he was, other than the success he's had over the past 32 years. My approach with virtually any interview, especially when sitting down face-to-face, is to have an icebreaker. Perhaps a more personal question or statement so that I establish a more casual setting and much more of a conversation than anything else. A list of questions just isn't how I roll, and I like it that way. Walking into Keefer's office, you get the sense that it's Christmas year-round for him. It was green and red everywhere, and just about the only thing missing was the tree. So I introduced myself as we both took a seat on his red leather couch. Before meeting with him, I sent him an e-mail to figure out a time and place and all that good stuff. I couldn't help but realize that his e-mail address is used with the first name "John." This was the icebreaker. "So are you Jack or are you John," I said as we both got comfortable. "Oh, it's Jack," he responds. "John is my legal name, but Jack is my name. Back in the old days with John Kennedy, Jack Kennedy - same kind of stuff." So there it was, the icebreaker. That question had absolutely nothing to do with the interview, but I could tell it caught him a little off-guard. Perfect. As we sat and talked, very quickly it became apparent to me that Keefer had not the darnedest idea who I was...that's not surprising, and that actually made things easier. He was there to fulfill an interview request and answer my questions, and I was there to conduct an interview that would lead to a story about things the public doesn't normally hear from him. Just from the conversation alone, there were a few relevant things that stuck out in my mind. The most important of these is the fact that Keefer is about as open and honest as they come. He's got no reason not to be, I think his job's safe and his track record speaks for itself. One general question I did ask him, based on his longevity as a coach, was his thoughts on the changes of the Indiana high school game. "Players are stronger and faster, jump a little higher and they're definitely bigger," he said. "That's the way things are moving in the world now. Kids don't just condition for basketball, they condition for the year. You don't have a coach teaching weights, you have a weight trainer or an individual session. Kids just have so much available to them to make them better. Coaches are getting better; their knowledge compared with 30 years ago is not even close." The most intriguing part of the interview, however, revolved around former players Greg Oden and Mike Conley (big surprise, I know). But it wasn't the fact that I had to ask a few questions regarding the superstars, it was more the fact that, even when I didn't ask a question about them, his answers to completely separate questions somehow included Oden and/or Conley. It just gave me the sense of just how special and important those two were not only to LN, but to high school hoops in this state. Amongst the conversation, and this was published in the magazine, was his answer about how his relationships with Oden and Conley have changed since graduation. "It's just a completely different atmosphere, they're men now. Greg called me and he was all depressed when his knee got hurt, and I said, 'You've got a reason to be depressed if you're at Ohio State and you're sitting on the bench with a bad knee and two bucks in you pocket. But I don't feel very sorry for you with the money you've got in your pocket now and where you're at. So get over it.'" Genius. Finally, a coach who tells the truth. I get so sick and tired of coaches beating around the bush and not saying what they really feel. Obviously, it's understandable why "coach speak" happens. But with Keefer, I don't have to say "Tell me how you really feel." As a writer, I like that. I must say, talking with Keefer for about a half hour was one of the better interviews I've had here at the magazine. Just wish it was appropriate to share the rest of his feelings on this year's sectional realignment.