January 19, 2023
Sharing a love of the game: Longtime Little League coach concentrates on fun, fundamentals
NEW MADRID, Mo. - Nick Bevly never played Little League basketball but it is a sport he has come to love. When his daughter wanted to play as a third grader in New Madrid’s Little League basketball program, Bevly signed up the 10-year-old and volunteered as an assistant coach...
By Jill Bock/Standard Democrat
NEW MADRID, Mo. - Nick Bevly never played Little League basketball but it is a sport he has come to love.
When his daughter wanted to play as a third grader in New Madrid’s Little League basketball program, Bevly signed up the 10-year-old and volunteered as an assistant coach.
Ten years later, Bevly is a fixture in the program. In the fall he coaches girls in fourth through sixth grades then leads a team of fourth through sixth grade boys through their season. After the boys’ season wraps up, Bevly coaches second and third graders in the co-ed program.
“I like teaching,” he said. “At the first practice some of them can’t catch the ball but by the last game they are dribbling and trying to get a steal. I like seeing the smiles on kids’ faces as their confidence grows.”
Bevly said the Little League coaches concentrate on teaching fundamentals. They work on where to stand on the court, how to pass a ball and the basics of shooting a layup and a free throw.
Although each team and each year is different, Bevly finds the girls are the most coachable.
“I don’t know if it is that way with everybody, but I tend to get better luck with the girls. They listen. They get it quicker than the boys,” he said. “The boys come in and think they can dribble and shoot like an NBA player, but after that first loss, it brings them back down.”
Bevly said he and the other coaches urge the players to pass the ball, shoot from the inside and work as a team. If they listen, most pick up the skills quickly.
Casey Rost, whose team was facing Bevly’s on a recent December evening, said she and Bevly have talked about the importance of the coaches working together.
“It doesn’t seem to bother him a bit to help another player from another team at any point of the basketball game,” she said. “All these girls are all going to be Lady Eagles at one point, so he sees the benefit of everybody learning the game.”
She described him as a not only a good coach but a good role model.
“He is so positive with the kids, so encouraging. He is letting them have fun, while he is teaching them basketball. He does a great job,” she said.
While on the court, Bevly said youngsters not only learn the fundamentals of the game but also about life.
He said participating in basketball, or any sport, teaches youngsters how to win and lose. They learn they may not be the best but can still have fun. They learn to respect their coaches, the referees and most importantly, each other.
The coach added he hopes they learn the benefits of being active.
“With all this technology we have today, it is easy to give a kid a phone or a tablet and let them sit. But get them in the gym, let them be active and maybe they will pick up a sport they are good at,” he said.
He admits he has learned as well.
As he began coaching, Bevly said his first lesson was to understand it isn’t about winning and losing but teaching the fundamentals. He also learned to be patient. He said he always tries to have fun with his teams.
“And you do have to listen to the kids,” he said. “You can’t talk to them too much or they will just zone you out.”
Bevly considers his season a success when he looks at how much the players have learned and if they have enjoyed playing.
“Usually I try to get every player to start at least one game and get them in the score books. There is nothing more exciting to one of those kids then when they score a basket or do something good and look in those stands and see their parents smiling and everyone clapping for them. Each one of them deserves to feel that at least one time,” he said.
The Little League program could benefit from more volunteers, he said.
Bevly, who works with autistic children through the Department of Mental Health, said spending time with their children is one of the most important gifts any parents can give and will create memories to last a life time.
He acknowledges most coaches volunteer while their child plays and said he has thought about quitting as well until a former player comes up and asks to be on his team again. So far he has always agreed.
Audrey Jones was sitting in the stands as the teams warmed up for their game. Her daughter, Laura Michael, is on Bevly’s team for a second year.
She said her daughter was excited when she learned he would coach her again.
“He just has a way with them. He is great,” she said. “We love him.”
Watching the team practice, Bevly added, “I enjoy it. I really do. It puts a smile on my face.”
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