One winter just after the turn of the century I was playing volleyball in the small gym at South Huron District High School (SHDHS). It was likely not for fun, because for me, volleyball and fun rarely met in the same sentence. But I remember that Terry O’Rourke was there – the head of the school’s physical education department and my basketball coach at the time. O’Rourke watched a play in which I leapt into the air and blocked an opponent’s spike, volley or tip and appraised the situation in a clipped sentence. "He should do that every time," he said, emphasizing the last two words. It was true, and it was probably a recurring thought when O’Rourke watched me play sports. When he watched, I think he saw talent but also an inability to execute consistently. It’s telling, though, that the one year I started putting things together as a basketball player was the only year I had O’Rourke as my coach. It helped that I’d worked hard over the summer to get in shape, and had played plenty of playground ball with guys who made up a portion of my team that year. It helped that those I played with gave me insight into the strengths and weaknesses of my game. But it also helped immensely that for the first time I had a coach who knew basketball well, had played it at a high level, and knew how to teach it. As a former university player who in middle age could still wipe the floor with me, O’Rourke’s words carried weight. I learned more about basketball that year than I had my entire life before, or have since. As you know if you read last week’s Times-Advocate, O’Rourke is set to retire this summer after 35 years at South Huron. He was a fixture in the school’s sports landscape during his tenure, and not someone who will soon be forgotten. The O’Rourke I encountered as a basketball coach was not big on words, but able to make his words count. It was he who taught me basketball is more about quickness than speed; who taught me how to improve as a free throw shooter; and helped me see where I could fit effectively within a team. Playing for O’Rourke meant knowing oneself as a basketball player, letting teammates do what I could not do well, and working hard while having fun. We had little success as a team that year, but as an individual I grew immensely, and I was not the only one. O’Rourke himself will tell you he was not universally loved – "you’re always going to rub somebody the wrong way," he said when I interviewed him a couple of weeks ago. But he was one of the school’s most popular teachers when I was there. That had a lot to do with his demeanor, his sense of humour and his ability to connect with players. It also had plenty to do with his ability to take potential and help it grow into something real. By the end of high school I'd fallen out of love with playing basketball, and I never maximized my ability as a player. But for many years the game was a passion I lived and breathed. I can list three people who affected my development on the court in a big way, and O'Rourke is at the top of that list. Thanks for the help, Terry. Best of luck in your life's next chapter.