Girls basketball COY: Title: Music to Lawrence's ears (03-27-07)
Clarke coach's players are reluctant to embrace his passion for bluegrass -- By Chuck McGill (Daily Staff Writer)
BERRYVILLE — The bounce of a basketball on the hardwood and the sound of a shot tumbling cleanly through a nylon net are music to Tim Lawrence's ears.
But neither audible delight compares to the melodic strumming of a banjo, mandolin or any other bluegrass instrument. After all, that music has provided the backbone of the Clarke County coach's life.
"It's my No. 1 love," he said. "The area where I grew up, it's so steeped [in bluegrass tradition]. You are either a picker or a luthier. If you aren't one of those two, it's a rare thing."
A picker plays the instrument; the luthier constructs them. Lawrence is neither — nor does he pretend to be, despite owning a three-song repertoire on the mandolin.
"I want to make it clear that I don't claim to be a musician," he said. "I've always loved music, but my family wasn't real musically inclined."
Instead of going down in bluegrass lore, he's forced to accept his fate as a state championship basketball coach — and The Northern Virginia Daily's Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
Lawrence, 40, has come a long way since his days as a self-proclaimed mountain boy in Galax, where his infatuation with basketball was rivaled only by the annual fiddler's festival in his hometown. He still makes the trek back each year for the event, which he has attended every year since he was 9.
"That's the highlight of my year," he said. "It's what gives me the mojo to make it through the other 51 weeks."
He said he fell in love with the music the first time he heard a banjo. He lists the Del McCoury Band and Bill Monroe — the father of bluegrass music — as his favorites.
"I can't even play," Lawrence said, attempting his rendition of the Tennessee Waltz. "If you notice, I don't have a pick, either. A real musician would have a pick."
Lawrence has embraced his role as a quasi-spokesman for bluegrass, but he hasn't fared well in recruiting his players. He has tried to slip bluegrass onto the team's warmup CD but acknowledges his attempts are mostly futile.
"On some of the trips, I'll start singing prison songs," he said, noting most bluegrass deals with prison, murder or gospel. "They always tell me to shut up, but I know deep down inside they love it."
Senior guard Leslie Hardesty disagreed.
"It gives me a headache," she said. "There was always two or three bluegrass songs on our warmup CD, but this year we told him no."
Lawrence is quick to cite bluegrass as an influence on his coaching style — albeit a loose one.
"I like my basketball like I like my bluegrass," he said. "I like it fast-paced and intense."
Lawrence's up-tempo style guided the Eagles back to the state tournament, where they dispatched Gate City — the team that defeated Clarke County in last season's title game — in the semifinals and then undefeated Floyd County for the school's first girls basketball title.
Gate City and Floyd County each struggled with the Eagles' frenetic style; both teams yielded season highs in points allowed.
"Dean Smith said a long time ago that great players make great coaches," Lawrence said. "I'm just fortunate to be the guy that happened to be on the sidelines."
Hardesty again differed in opinion.
"When coach Lawrence came in, he set the tone for our program," she said. "The style of play he brought made our program what it is. I don't think we could have made it as far without him."
Lawrence said he could coach another 100 years and not be blessed with a team like this year's group.
But it's a certainty each new team will be force-fed bluegrass.
"I always try to turn people on to it," he said. "Some are more open than others. The kids get a kick out of it."
