When Bowman County coach Gary Ballard and Turtle Lake-Mercer coach Joi Anderson talk before their Class B state tournament game at 6:30 p.m. today, it could be about sports but not necessarily basketball.
The two coaches are softball buddies and still play on old pro teams together in the summer. Ballard used to teach in Turtle Lake and was still active in the community after moving to Hazen.
"We spent a lot of years together playing softball," Ballard said. "We know each other pretty well. We've spent a lot of time talking basketball. He kind of knows what I like and I know what kind of things he likes."
Anderson agreed with his coaching counterpart.
"He knows me pretty well and I know him," Anderson said, referring to their coaching styles. "We've sat down at tables and drawn up a few plays together."
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The contrast in styles could be very evident in their game as both teams clearly reflect their coaches' approaches to the game.
"It's a (much) different type of basketball," Anderson said. "He likes to control it and be more patient. I'm a little bit more freelance."
Though it often helps to know the tendencies of the opposing coach, Ballard said it comes down to execution by the players.
"We've still got to have players and we both have good players," Ballard said.
NOTE: Ballard, in his second year at Bowman County, enters the game with 184 career wins.
