MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / July 21, 1999

RESERVE – Riverside coach John White still remembers the first time he had to take over a practice by himself.

White was a student at Jones County (Miss.) Junior College, serving as avolunteer assistant coach for the junior high and varsity girls’ basketball teams at a local high school.

“I was extremely nervous,” White said. “I didn’t sleep the night before.”White has overseen quite a number of practices since then in a career that has spanned eight years at Riverside. Like all coaches, he has experiencedpeaks and valleys in those years. But this past school year, White had oneof those years most coaches would love to have.

The year began with White as offensive coordinator of a Rebel football team that went 14-1 and advanced to the Class 2A state championship game. Then it was on to basketball where White led the Rebels to theirbest record and their first playoff appearance since joining the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. From there, White’s girls’ track teamcaptured its 10th straight district title while the boys’ squad upset West St. John for district honors.Moving from one sports to the next is old hat for White who was a four- sport (football, basketball, baseball and track) star at Riverside, earning all-district and all-state honors. After graduating, White went on to playbaseball at Jones County. During his first semester, he took businesscourses but found they did not interest him. It was at that point hedecided to go into coaching.

White was offered his first job at Riverside upon graduation. The day afterRiverside principal Barry Heltz offered him assistant positions in football and basketball and coach of middle school track, DeLaSalle High School came calling but White stuck by the Rebels’ offer.

“It felt good, like I was coming back home,” White said. “I knew the peoplehere and I was comfortable. I didn’t feel any pressure and that’s why Icame here. Being an assistant is where you learn and I learned a lot fromthe coaches here.”White took over track seven years ago and became the head boys’ basketball coach two years later. The next year, he added offensivecoordinator of the football team to his resume.

It was as offensive coordinator that White said he experienced the highlight of his career, helping the Rebels to the Class 2A state championship game against West St. John last season. It was quite adeparture from the year before when Riverside went 6-5 amidst injuries and head coach Mickey Roussel’s battle with leukemia.

“Everyday was fun,” White said of last season. “Practices flew by. Therewere a lot of smiling faces. The kids and the staff were more relaxed. Theseniors were a real good bunch to work with.”Contributing to the success of the team was a changed in offensive philosophy. Before the season, Roussel looked at the makeup of the teamand decided to switch from a multiple offense to the Wing-T. White was alittle leery about changing at first after having seven years experience in the old offense. But after discussing it with Roussel, the two convincedeach other that the Wing-T was the way to go.

“As the season went on, we got more confidence in it and the kids enjoyed it,” White said, adding that the team did not completely abandon its old system. “It’s a mixture with the old offense, the Wing-T offense with new wrinkles.”As the football season concluded, White jumped right into basketball.

White was expecting a good season but with the football players on the team still out as the team entered a tough pre-district schedule, the Rebels got off to a slow start. He would not get the football players backuntil a month before district opened at which time the Rebels stood 7-9.

But Riverside got better as the season went on, upsetting Ridgewood on the road and taking district champion West St. John down to the wiretwice. The Rebels finished the season in a tie for third place with St.Charles Catholic, necessitating a playoff.

In the playoff at Reserve Christian, the Riverside ended a nine-game losing streak to the Comets, 82-75. The win sent the Rebels to thepostseason for the first time since they entered the LHSAA. A loss toPatterson in the bi-district round ended Riverside’s season at 13-15, the team’s best record in the LHSAA.

White credited the team’s seniors for contributing to the success and was proud of them sticking together for four years even through the hard times.

“To have them go out winners felt good,” White said.

White’s busy schedule continued as the track season opened. By the time itclosed, both the boys’ and girls’ team had won the District 9-2A title.

The Lady Rebels went on to place third at regionals and 13th in the state and had Amanda Roussel win the state championship in the high jump.

White said there were many reasons for the continuing success but the main one was the athletes.

“Middle school helps,” White said. “You get them out there when they areyoung and give them an event they enjoy. And the facilities here help.”White said jumping from sport to sport can be tough especially when there is also school work to do but that he enjoys it.

“I have been enjoying it, especially the kids that do the three sports with you. It’s most enjoyable when I get to coach a kid in all sports and weencourage them to play all sports.”Summers are slower for White but even then he is working hard to become a better coach. White joined Roussel and assistant coach Keith Childressin attending a Wing-T clinic at South Arkansas University last month.

“It’s like the medical field,” White said. “You have to keep up with thenew trends. You don’t want to get stale.”That commitment to getting better is one of the things that impresses Roussel about White.

“He’s relentless, tireless,” Roussel said. “He’s an intense individual but hedoesn’t show it. He very seldom gets frustrated and he’s got pretty goodpatience.”That’s not easy a quality for someone to have in position like White’s.

“The toughest job in the River Parishes is offensive coordinator,” Roussel said. “Ninety-nine percent of the fans are qualified for it.”Roussel and White have been coaching together for eight years now and Roussel said White has become more than an assistant coach, he has become more like a brother.

“In a profession that is probably hurting for the good, young, responsible coaches, it is certainly a case where he is as responsible a coach and as fine as a coach as I have had,” Roussel said.

For White, the best part of the job is working with the students, especially one like Quinton Terrio who he has been coaching since sixth grade and whom recently got a basketball scholarship to Belhaven College.

“Working with the kids, it’s not a job,” White said.

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