Playing
Time:
Coach Hugh
Roberts scores with “selfish” idea
by Jesse Raymond
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| Hugh Roberts instructs a group of young basketball players. Roberts is the founder of Boys and Girls Club Basketball in Randolph. Photo by Jesse Raymond. |
Basketball can be
complicated with strategies and rules. Would-be coaching gurus instruct
practice sessions that last for hours—sessions that grow thick with
talk of zone defenses, motion offenses, and countless other offensive
and defensive options. But in the small town of Randolph, basketball boils
down to three simple rules: Work hard to do your best, don’t make
excuses and live a clean life.
These three rules have led the town to statewide recognition not only
on the court, but off it as well. And the rules stem from one man who
says he “selfishly” wanted kids to have more playing time—Hugh
Roberts.
A father's "selfish"
idea
“I started it because I had kids of my own, selfish reasons I guess,”
Roberts says. “But at least I did it; it was something I could do for
them. They were farm kids like I was at their age and sports for me at that
time, like it still is today, was an outlet. I know people thought we were
crazy, that we would burn the kids out, that they would get hurt. But the
added games only made the kids want to play more.”
Roberts, who prefers to be called Hugh, has been many things in life, but
is most known for his coaching. He is the founder and coach of Boys and Girls
Club Basketball in Randolph: population 1,869. In 1979, Roberts’ son,
Hugh, was in eighth grade and liked to play basketball. But Wisconsin Interscholastic
Athletic Association (WIAA) rules only allowed 10 games per season for public
school teams like Hugh’s; private and parochial schools played 25 games
per season and had no set limit. So Roberts decided to start a boys basketball
program in Randolph with his own knowledge and money. This was the birth of
the Randolph basketball legacy.
It’s not easy to start an entire basketball program. Roberts started
small, scheduling 25 games, all against private schools in the area. A year
later the schedule was up to 60 games. With the game increases came a much
bigger commitment. Roberts spends countless hours lining up tournaments and
games, speaking to coaches and setting up practices. In addition he established
and runs Randolph’s own club tournament, which today is one of the most
widely known in Wisconsin and the Midwest.
“I didn’t realize how much work, time and money went into this
when I first started,” Roberts says. “I am just a farmer and a
painter of limited means. Entering tournaments costs money. But I saw how
much my kids enjoyed it, and not just my kids, all the youngsters in Randolph
who were in our program. The work and time and investment doesn’t really
matter when you’ve got smiling faces really appreciating what you do.”
The idea flourishes
As the program grew, so did the Randolph Boys Club’s reputation
and success. UW-Madison Men’s Basketball Coach Bo Ryan has known
Roberts for quite some time and can attest to this. “Everyone knows
about Hugh and Randolph club teams. They are not only respected for their
quality, but also for the sportsmanship and integrity they show on and
off the court.”
The Boys Club won tournaments and competed with teams from Milwaukee,
Madison and Chicago—teams that, in most people’s opinions,
should have overpowered Randolph. They could compete because they practiced
and played on a solid foundation of hard work, teamwork, fundamentals
and defense.
“I have always felt,” Roberts says, “that you don’t
need to be the most talented athlete to be successful. Being a good person
makes a good basketball player. Hard work and clean living can be a lot
of it. A lot of it, too, is going a little further than the next guy.
If you are willing to work hard enough for something, you can pretty much
do anything, no matter what is expected. Excuses for failure are just
a cover for failed effort.”
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| Roberts speaks with members of the seventh
grade Girls Club team. Photo by Jesse Raymond. |
In 1985, six years into the club system, the Boys Club became a Boys and Girls Club, and included players from fourth through eighth grade. Roberts, who tried to do as much as possible, simply could not handle every team alone, so he incorporated and instructed some people from the community to coach some of the younger teams. But Roberts remained the seventh and eighth grade coach and overseer of all activities. What started as a “selfish” project became a way of life for everyone in the community.
Basketball for
all
The Randolph Basketball Tournament is now an annual town event for every
grade that holds it. Players’ parents work concession stands, selling
hot food, drinks and their own baked goods to raise money for future tournaments.
Richard Stiemsma, whose son Greg went through the program, sees the tournaments
as more than athletic competitions. “Those times of year always
make the cold winter a little warmer. Parents coming together to help
out, watching our kids have so much fun, it is just the best,” he
says. Greg Stiemsma is an example of the success that often results from
Roberts’ efforts.
Currently a junior at Randolph High School, Stiemsma started out in the
Boys Club program when he was younger. “I was in third grade at
the time. It was our first day of basketball practice,” Stiemsma
says, with a warm nostalgia in his voice.
“We were just warming up, and then Hugh showed up. He was the eighth
grade coach. I couldn’t believe that he was taking time from all
his other things. I mean he’s got so many other teams, girls and
guys, and all the tournaments. It was just so cool for him to show us
little eight- and nine-year-olds how to shoot and some other fundamental
things. It may seem like a small thing, but when you’re that age,
something like that is a big thing. Here was this successful coach and
he was taking time just for us, showing us how things should be done.”
Building off that early foundation of dedication, fundamentals and hard
work, Steimsma grew up in the club system, working to improve his game
every year. In seventh grade, he finally played for Roberts. “It
was the best experience in the world,” Stiemsma says with tangible
excitement and recollection. “Hugh would spend however long you
wanted and would help you out with anything. Not even just basketball
stuff. Hugh knows that to be successful on the court you have to be successful
off it. He gave us three guidelines: Work hard and try your best, don’t
make excuses, and try to live a clean life. If we got into trouble or
didn’t have the grades, we didn’t play, and basketball wouldn’t
matter. But whether it was a problem with my free throws or a difficult
week at school, Hugh would always try and do what he could to help. Hugh
always made me and all of us feel like we could be successful and do anything
in life.”
This idea of dedication, extra effort and lofty goals is something that
has carried Stiemsma throughout his basketball career and permeated his
entire life. Powerhouse basketball colleges like Duke and North Carolina
have scouted the 6’11” junior—not only for his size,
but also for the strong, fundamental, and intelligent player and person
he is. Stiemsma has verbally committed to UW-Madison because of the loyalty
he feels to the state and the fun he had playing at the state tournament
in Madison.
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| Roberts demonstrates a play to one of the
Girls Club teams. In addition to teaching the fundamentals of basketball,
Roberts stresses three things: Work hard to do your best, don't make
excuses and live a clean life. Photo by Jesse Raymond |
The Kohl Center in
Madison, where the state tournament is held, has almost been like a second
home gym for Randolph High School because of Roberts’ influence.
The boys basketball team in particular has made it there seven times in
the last 14 years, and won it three times in the last six years—including
last year. UW-Madison’s Coach Ryan says this high school success
is not accident, luck or ingenious high school coaching. “Everyone
knows why Randolph is so dominant. It’s because of what Coach Roberts
has done for the kids there. Hugh is a true gentleman and that is reflected
in all his players,” Ryan says. “I can’t overstate enough
how important Roberts has been to Randolph. And it’s not just about
basketball and the fundamentals of offense and defense, the X’s
and O’s, he teaches them the fundamentals of community, integrity
and life. When we look at future recruits, we know that there are some
players who you have to worry about off the court, but me and my coaching
staff know that Hugh’s kids would never be a problem.”
A coach's life
Hugh has been through a lot over the years, but he has always made time
for his players and the Randolph community. In 1994, his car slid through
a snowy crossing and was struck by a train. Hugh suffered multiple fractures,
including a broken neck that required a head-stabilizing halo. Although
he almost died, Roberts did all he could to get back on the sidelines
coaching as soon as possible.
Then three years ago, Hugh had triple bypass surgery to correct a heart
problem. He downplays that as well, almost to the point that the surgery
seems to be no more than a trip to the dentist for a filling.
And one thing he won’t even mention is his induction to the Wisconsin
Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. “It really isn’t anything
special,” Roberts says. “It’s a little strange to get
an award for doing something that you enjoy and do just because you think
it’s the right thing to do. It makes me happy if what I do can help
people in some way; if that means I deserve an award, so be it.”
Now at age 68, with almost 23 years of coaching behind him, there are
no signs of slowing down for Coach Hugh Roberts. He has lived and is living
the cliché of hard work and determination that many coaches, himself
included, often preach.
But he conveys the idea through example, an example that speaks volumes
and has put Randolph on the map. “I don’t know if Randolph
basketball will always be successful the way it has in the past 15 or
so years, but that was just a happy accident,” Roberts says. “I
really see myself doing this until I die, not that that’s going
to happen anytime soon,” he adds, with a wink, smile and his characteristically
loud laugh. “I just love the community, the joy that the kids get
out of it and the joy it gives me.”
View
one of Coach Roberts' practices