January 06, 2006

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Publication Date: Friday, January 06, 2006

It's been a dream job

Thirty-four years, less one year coaching at Ohlone Junior College a quarter century ago. That's how long Don Underwood has coached basketball at Amador Valley High School.

It's been quite a ride.

Beginning in 1970 coaching freshman JV, it wasn't long before Underwood was coaching varsity. He'd played college ball in the '60s until a torn Achilles tendon cut short his college career. Underwood graduated from Chico State in 1968.

During his years as a high school coach, Underwood even coached his son, Ty, a guard. Underwood jokes, "It was tough on both of us."

Married 34 years to Jenny, a sixth grade teacher at Hart Middle School, Underwood retired from teaching two years ago. He'd taught history for 34 years at Amador, where Ty graduated in 1991. Don and Jenny also have a daughter, Bree, 27, and a granddaughter, Mila, 7.

Now that he's retired, Underwood spends a lot of time with Mila, and a lot of time brushing up his golf game. How good is he? Laughing, he says, "I'm still in the 'hack' stage."

Of his various coaching achievements, Underwood points to competing in the 1985 Northern California Championship and the State Championship in 1994 at McAfee Coliseum in Artesia, Calif. as career highlights. Especially exciting, he said, is when "everything is on the line and you're playing in front of such big crowds." In 1985, for instance, there were 10,000 spectators in the Coliseum.

Crowds have been disappointing in recent years for the long-running Amador Basketball Classic. The 44th eight-team tournament was held Dec. 7-10. Underwood said, despite drawing good teams, the Classic, like other high school sports in the Bay Area, competes with college and professional games. The Classic also had competition this year from other high school tournaments.

Underwood points out, "Unless there's a big rivalry--like when Amador plays Foothill--it's hard to get good crowds."

The nice thing about retirement, he said, is that he "can do whatever I want." And while he doesn't mind having retired from teaching, he has no plans to retire as head basketball coach at Amador. Underwood, 60, jokes, "I tell everyone I'm on a one-year contract." He said he'll keep on coaching "as long as they'll have me and I enjoy it."

He credits Jenny's support for his longevity as a coach, saying it takes a special kind of person to weather the rollercoaster ups and downs of coaching. Thinking back, his voice warms remembering, "She sat in the stands through a lot of games."

To go into coaching, he adds, you have to like kids and love the game. At Amador, he said he couldn't have asked for a better situation: great kids, great support from parents.

So what has meant the most to him in his many years of coaching? He doesn't miss a beat. "Far and away the opportunity I've had to work with so many great young guys." The players, he said. That's what he's cared about the most--and is the heart of his stellar record.
Top coach, great record: Amador Classic tradition draws top teams

At this year's Amador Basketball Classic--its 44th consecutive year, making it the longest running eight-team tournament in the state--Amador Valley High School took third place, beating Sequoia from Redwood City. Skyline of Oakland came from behind to beat Cordova of Sacramento in the final. In the consolation final, Ygnacio Valley defeated Mercedin.

There have been several top college players who have come through the tournament over the years, and pro players, too, recalled former Amador varsity assistant coach Clark Fuller. The most famous of those is Jason Kidd.

After playing for St. Joseph's of Alameda and UC Berkeley, Kidd is now an all-pro in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets, said Fuller.

Equally impressive is long-time Amador basketball head coach Don Underwood's record. In the last 25 years, his teams have scored 475 wins to just 224 losses--the most wins in the history of the league.

During Underwood's varsity tenure, he can boast:

* 10 East Bay Athletic League Championship titles: 1981, '82, '83, '84 and' 85, 1993, '94 and '95, 2003, 2004

* 4 North Coast Section Championships, 1990, '93, '94, '95, placed 2nd each time

* Nor-Cal Championship title in 1993, in 1984, lost at the buzzer

Underwood's honors include:

* 1995--named to the Tri-Valley Hall of Fame

* 1985, 1993--Coach of the year (31-2 record both years)

League historian Pete Anderson said Underwood has had only two seasons where his teams failed to have more wins than losses in a season.

Underwood's influence can be seen in the achievements of his former players and assistant coaches. Will Biggs is coach of Cal State, East Bay; Tony Costello coaches for Chabot College and the new Las Positas College team; Andy Spinola is the coach of Orinda's Miramonte High School and Tom Costello is coach at Tennyson High School in Hayward.

Fuller was Underwood's assistant coach from 1985-2003. Anderson remains Amador's unofficial historian and also keeps score for Livermore High School. -Carol Bogart

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