Norm Persin to Coach in All-American Game

[iwearblacknikes]

March 31st

Click for complete list of the 2010 players and coaches.

http://mcdonaldsallamerican.com/#/2010

[Spartan]

Great honor for Coach Persin.

[Keyser_sozeThrice]

For Tuesday's (today March 30) Times-Journal

Enjoy


Back on the national stage

Persin to coach in All-American game

By PAUL BOGGS

Sports Editor

OAK HILL — Once again, Oak Hill High School boys basketball coach Norm Persin has an opportunity to coach on the coveted court of Value City Arena in Columbus, and on national television.

And, only a year removed from his greatest triumph as a high school boys basketball coach.

That’s because the legendary Persin partakes in Wednesday night’s prestigious McDonald’s All-American High School boys basketball game, held at the Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University.

The boys game, of which Persin is a co-head coach of the East squad, tips off at 8 p.m.

The tilt will be televised on ESPN, as Persin and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary mentor Dru Joyce join forces to lead the East All-Americans.

For Persin, coaching in the All-American game is the latest honor in his illustrious 33-year head coaching career.

Although, it can easily be argued that his three most decorated honors have happened over the past 368 days.

“It doesn’t get much bigger and it’s a great award,” said Persin of his opportunity to coach in the All-American game.

The 59-year-old Persin is coaching in the McDonald’s event on the heels of his Oaks capturing the 2009 Division IV state championship and his being selected as the National High School Coach of the Year for boys basketball by the NHSF in January.

In addition, he guided the Oaks to their first-ever undefeated regular season this past winter, as his 593 career victories remain ranked in the top 10 in the state for most all-time career coaching wins.

Persin said of what has transpired for him in the past 12 months: “God had a plan.”

“It’s been quite a year, and I think my wife (Rita) has always said it best that God had a plan for me,” said Persin. “I’m just fortunate. You have to knock on wood and you have to thank the people around you and thank God for everything good that’s happened to you.”

The latest chapter in his storied coaching career takes place on Wednesday night in Columbus — at the site of truly his greatest triumph.

For the last time Persin coached a game in Value City Arena, the Oaks celebrated Jackson County’s first-ever state championship in a team sport.

Oak Hill captured its single-season school-record 25th victory on March 28, 2009, edging Kalida 48-43 in an epic double-overtime Division IV title game.

Of the three amazing honors over the past year and three days, Persin placed the most importance on winning the state title.

“Winning the state championship has to be the most important because you do it with your own kids and it’s just something that you work so hard for,” he said. “You really want it, and you have to catch breaks and be lucky too, but you never know if that dream is going to come true.”

It was Persin’s first — and remains his only — state tournament appearance in 33 seasons.

He has captured 15 district championships, a dozen of which were won throughout his highly-successful 21-year tenure at Chesapeake.

He has 80 wins with the Oaks over the past four seasons, including 66 and at least 20 in each of the past three campaigns.

He has also led the Oaks to the school’s — and Jackson County’s — first-ever and only boys regional tournament appearances, including the Division IV regional championship bout two years ago.

Persin returns to Value City Arena on Wednesday, and explained how he was selected to coach in the All-American game.

“As for myself, I think it’s just a guy who’s been around working the camps around the country. I look at the roster there, and I have been around a lot of these kids (McDonald’s All-American players) the last two or three years when they were sophomores and juniors,” he said. “So I’ve been around some of those kids, just my longevity in coaching probably was a big reason too, and I know Dru Joyce had a major impact in me coaching with him in this game.”

It aided in part, Persin said, that this year’s annual contests are held in Ohio.

“They moved it to Columbus this year, and they contacted me last summer and asked if I would be interested (in coaching in the game). Naturally, I was interested,” he said. “I didn’t know that all four coaches such as ourselves were going to be from Ohio. So that definitely helped.”

Persin and Joyce are joined on the benches by the West team co-coaches — Eric Flannery of Cincinnati St. Edward and Carl Kremer of Cincinnati Moeller.

This is the 33rd McDonald’s All-American boys game and the ninth annual girls game, which will precede the boys game at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Persin believed “a lot of things” went into his selection.

He has long worked at high-level summer basketball camps throughout the country, including the Hoop Jamboree in Saint Louis, Mo.; the former Nike All-American camps and the current LeBron James Skills Academies.

“It’s not just a one-year deal where you win a state championship. I think it’s all the things that you do in the summer that probably are more important in getting selected to this game,” he said. “You put all of those things together, it gives you your credibility I guess.”

The McDonald’s All-American affair is not the first major all-star game that Persin has coached in on national television.

Two years ago, he served as an assistant coach in the Jordan Brand All-American game, which was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City in April.

That too was televised on ESPN.

“I was fortunate enough to coach in the Jordan game, and that was a great opportunity as well. I had a blast and it was a lot of fun,” said Persin. “You’re around those same type of athletes.”

Persin’s participation this week actually began on Saturday night with a mandatory banquet, as the two teams practiced Sunday and Monday and again this morning for two-hour periods.

Other activities included visits to the Ronald McDonald House of Columbus and the Columbus Zoo, along with today’s Media Day at the Ronald McDonald House of Columbus.

Proceeds from this year’s games will benefit the families and children in need through Ronald McDonald Charities of Central Ohio.

As for his actual on-the-floor co-coaching strategy, Persin said “the best thing about this is it’s not your normal all-star game.”

“We have four practices and a shoot-around with the kids, so you’re going to put in the stuff that you want them to run. But it’s the same situation. You have 12 kids on the team and they are all all-Americans who are all going to (Division I powerhouses) Duke, North Carolina, Memphis, Kentucky, UCLA or places like that,” said Persin. “If you can get them to play defense, and if you can get them to share the ball, those are the big things. I’ve always said that in games like this, you have to put in a play for a post player, a play for a forward and one for the guards. That way, everybody is getting the ball. But whenever it becomes fourth quarter, everybody wants to be the MVP. That’s what you have to worry about. Everybody wants to get their shots up in the fourth quarter.”

Among those on Persin’s East roster are Ohio State signees Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas.

Sullinger, of Columbus Northland, is the National Player of the Year.

But whatever the outcome on the scoreboard, Persin said it’s a fun few days on the coveted court in Columbus and on national television.

“It’s a lot of fun. It is,” he said.

sports@timesjournal.com

[Peake]

Congrats coach

[fhs_shl11]

Ill be watching for sure. Just shows how respected he is as a coach.

[Rebels on 3]

Cant wait to see the game, congrats from a SG Rebel fan. Good luck coach Persin.

[M0TIVAT0R]

Great accomplishments. Does anyone know his overall record?

[Peake]

He is 7 away from 600.

[Ironman92]

Had good info on how the McDonald's charities have helped he and his family. It was in today's Dispatch in the sports section.

[Ironman92]

Bowling shirt or not?

[Ty Webb]

Bowling shirt or not?

I just text Norm and he said he is wearing a suit. I guess McDonald's doesn't recognize Norm's love for bowling attire.

[Ironman92]

Suit with towel?

[Peake]

please tell me he has the towel!

[dimedrop4]

Well Norm's East squad ended up losing on a last second 3...but made a nice little run there at the end to come back and tie the game up. I'm sure this was an unforgettable experience for Coach Persin, and one he'll remember forever.

[clevelandbrowns#1]

Finally an official gets to give advice to a coach!!! Norm, you should have played your zone defense and that way the West wouldn't have had 50 dunks!! LOL No more man to man for any of your teams!!! LOL

[MightyOaksFan]

Yeah us Oak Fans in attendance were calling for the 1-3-1. Could you imagine those guys faces if he said they were going to go zone.