Local coaches start association

MAT-SU — Throughout his career as a basketball coach in Alaska, Dave Porter has heard, and felt, the need for a unified effort and representation for coaches. Recently, the head coach of the Houston High School boys program decided to do something about it.

Alongside fellow coaches in the Mat-Su Valley, Porter has helped form the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches.

Porter and Jason Marvel, head coach of the Palmer HIgh boys basketball program, created the blueprint for the association, which already has a membership of about 75 coaches from across the state.

“Dave Porter and I have been talking about wanting to start an association, the need for an association, so we finally sat down and started hashing some things out,” Marvel said recently.

Alaska once had an association, Marvel said, but the state has long lacked a group that can represent basketball coaches.

“We feel like we have to have representation across the state, there’s such an eclectic mix,” Marvel said.

Marvel and Porter say the association will help fulfill a variety of needs. Goals include promoting the sport and providing a unified voice for the state’s coaches.

“It’s huge,” Porter said. “We’ve never had a voice.”

Porter said when organizations such as the Alaska Schools Activities Association are set to make decisions that impact basketball, the AABC can be present to represent the views of the coaches.

“Right now, ASAA makes all of the decisions. They never even consult us, but we’ve never had a forum to consult,” Porter said. “If you have an association, you can come to us, poll our members and see how they feel about the issue.”

Promotion of the sport and the best interest of the athletes is central to the effort, Marvel said.

“We want to do what’s best for the kids in the state of Alaska,” Marvel said. “That’s the No. 1 priority.”

To help promote the sport and the state’s athletes, AABC has brought back a state all-star game that will be hosted by Colony High School on April 9.

“We used to have one in the state, but it fell by the wayside,” Porter said.

The all-star event will include senior boys and girls from the state’s four classes, 1A through 4A.

“This is a great chance for these kids to be seen,” Porter said.

Porter said he would like to see AABC responsible for putting together team polls and all-state teams that have been coordinated by members of the media in the past.

The more positive promotion, Porter said, the greater the chance for Alaska athletes to earn the chance to move on in the sport. For more about the organization, see alaskaabc.com.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.