SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It isn’t too unusual to have a parent coach their child in sports, but the scenario becomes extraordinary when a parent coaches their child in high school sports. What if that situation takes one more step to the unusual when an 80-year-old grandparent is the head coach, their son is the assistant coach, and the assistant’s son is a player?
That is exactly what is happening on the basketball court this year at South Tahoe High School.
South Tahoe High School Boys Basketball Head Coach Phil Bryant, his number one assistant coach is Matt Bryant, who Phil coached all the way through his high school career, and now Phil and Matt are both coaching Matt’s oldest son, and Phil’s grandson, Parker. The younger Bryant has been the Viking point guard for the past two years, so there are now three generations of Bryant hoopsters on the hardwood for South Tahoe High games.
We cannot leave out the other family connection in the gym – Jan Bryant (Phil’s wife, Matt’s mother and Parker’s grandmother) has kept the scorebook for all of Phil’s games through the years.
This is a true family affair.
Phil has been coaching high school basketball for 55 years, including 10 years at Whittell High School where his teams racked up 176 wins, two state championships, three Final Four appearances and reached the playoffs in every season. Over the 55 years, Bryant’s teams have accumulated over 1000 wins. When he retired from Westwood, the basketball court was dedicated to him.
Matt was an all-state basketball player when Phil coached him at Westwood High School in Northern California, and now Parker is a returning all-league player for South Tahoe. It’s been a winning combination as Matt has coached both the Freshmen and JV teams to undefeated league seasons, and Parker has been on a league championship team each of his three high school years and is now competing for the same in his fourth year.
“Matt, Parker and I have been blessed to coach and play with some great players through our four years at South Tahoe,” said Phil. “Parker’s senior teammates have been league champions every year, and they play very well together.”
At 80 years old and 55 years as an educator, Phil is still going strong and doesn’t see any end in sight.
“I have great coaches throughout the high school program with Matt, Alan Reed, Kyle Herbers and Lofton Norris,” said Phil. “Kyle, in his second year, has already won the mythical Freshmen and JV titles. Lofton, in his first year, won the Freshmen title this year. “
There is another Bryant destined for the South Tahoe High team. Matt’s youngest son Drexel is almost 10, and can be seen on the court shooting hoops before and after the high school games and during halftime. Drexel is also a front row fan at games as the students make room for him in their section.
“A great deal of thanks goes to Athletic Director Kevin Hennessee and Principal Justin Zunino for their support as we have aligned our character, cultural, and program objectives to match those the administration has set for the school,” said Phil.
With two NIAA Class 3A West Division boys’ basketball games remaining, South Tahoe will host Wooster High School (5-3) Wednesday night and Incline High School (6-2) on Friday, February 6, starting with the Freshmen boys games at 3 p.m., Junior Varsity Boys games at 4:30 p.m., and the Varsity Boys games at 7:30 p.m. in the Blue Gym at South Tahoe High School.
The undefeated Vikings (8-0) need just one win Wednesday or Friday to become the #1 seed going into the playoffs.
The NIAA Class 3A boys’ and girls’ basketball playoffs will begin on Monday, February 9, with each of the South Tahoe boys and girls teams having a home playoff game starting at 6 p.m. will the regional finals next Saturday at Wooster High.