With all the basketball going on, I thought today might be as good a time as any to talk about what coaches do – high school coaches in particular – on game day.

After 34 years of all this coaching stuff, I’d have to hearken back to game day as a high school teacher and basketball coach as providing some of the most memorable times I experienced.

Game day usually starts with the building in an uproar about what lies ahead for not only the school day but also the evening’s festivities.

There’s nothing quite like a high school basketball game day within an excited school.

Pep rallies usually start the fun. They generally occur during what is normally the seventh class period. My, what fun we had during the years at those things.

Nothing ignites a crowd more than a great band, and I was always lucky to have quality bands in my tenure as coach.

The kids make their way from classes to the auditorium or the gym, and by the time they are seated in the bleachers or the stadium seats, things start rocking.

I’ve witnessed laid-back schoolteachers dancing in the aisles, and once the school song is played, everyone gets geared up for the festivities.

Next up are the cheerleaders. Now, make no mistake about it: This has been a much-maligned group in certain circles. Not true from this corner. If we have had great bands in my career, we’ve also had great cheerleaders. Want to get the crowd excited at even a pep rally? Let the cheerleaders take over. Put their dancing routines and all their athletic moves to music, and you now have the makings of exciting a crowd.

Next, we have the obligatory introduction of coaches and players, followed, of course, by a promise from the head coach – that would be me – to win one for the Gipper.

After the festivities calm down, it’s time for the players to get their game faces on. If it’s a home game, I like to have the boys head straight to their houses and try to strike a normal routine before returning to school for the junior varsity contest at 6 p.m. If we’re headed out on a road trip, then we like to get the guys back and ready to depart at the same time.

The game itself requires coaches to play several roles. Realistically, I always enjoyed practice as much as, if not more than, games. Kids usually feel just the opposite.

Practice is, in fact, hard work. Games should be fun.

Here’s a tip for all those would-be coaches out there. Good coaches do the majority of their coaching – the important stuff anyway – in practice. By game time, the players should have all the vital information in their repertoire well in hand. If not, the coach becomes just a cheerleader, and that’s not always ideal.

I always enjoyed the close games more than the blowouts. I was never overly fond of lopsided scores, one way or the other. Coaches have to be conscious of two key variables in blowouts. First of all, all kids should play. Secondly, they should be conscious of never running up the score on anyone.

Tight games are beneficial for all parties involved. They’re more exciting for the players. They can forge bonds of camaraderie and friendship for team members and opposing team members.

The game of high school basketball is a unique phenomenon in our state. No sporting event throughout the course of the year quite matches high school hoops in our state.

Nothing matches the collective enthusiasm of high school basketball. And when tournament time rolls around, is there a better place to be than the Bangor Auditorium in the middle of an Eastern Maine semifinal or final contest?

Probably not.

Some of the best times in my athletic life were game days.

I feel blessed to have had the chance to participate in so many.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net