It was my pleasure to spend two-plus years of my life coaching men’s college basketball.

I am frequently asked what the primary difference is between coaching high school basketball and coaching college hoops.

I had the good fortune to spend 19 years of my life teaching high school English and coaching boys basketball. Yes, there were a few other chores which came my way such as the debate team, yearbook duties, and the obligatory dance coverage – hey, I even sang a song or two for the kiddies – but for the most part, it was English and basketball, an odd combination which garnered me an interview or two along the way.

I got into college coaching quite by accident. One of the nurses at the hospital suggested one day when I was a patient that I look into a vacancy at Eastern Maine Community College.

Apparently, the good folks out on the Hogan Road were trying to fill a spot in their men’s hoop program.

I applied for the position, and I considered myself fortunate to get the job.

The primary difference between coaching high school ball and college ball can be summed up in one word: recruiting.

Factor into that recruiting equation the necessity for college coaches to spend much of their free time out watching high school hoopsters play. In a nutshell, a college coach’s future depends on the caliber of talent he or she can bring in each spring.

I was blessed at EMCC because I inherited a talented group of players when I entered the scene that first year.

On top of that bunch, we had a group of kids walk on once they found out that I had assumed the position. Reputations being what they are, this didn’t hurt our program.

I knew that very first night out in October that we could contend for a state league title and perhaps make a run at a national title. Yes, we were that good.

The second difference – and perhaps the most obvious one – is this: the shot clock.

Now, make no mistake about it, I had some experience dealing with timed possessions in the Continental Basketball Association. There’s a world of difference, however, between a 35-second college shot clock and a 24-second professional shot clock.

Smart coaches will utilize half-court pressure defenses at both levels to thwart offenses and decrease time of possession.

For college hoops, the 35-second shot clock is seldom needed, or, quite frankly, used.

In 1992, for research in writing our Basketball 2000 book, my wife Shelly and I found that the longest average time of possession for Division I men’s college basketball teams was 29 seconds. Readers should be aware that most teams seldom – if ever – took advantage of the full 35 seconds allowed for each possession.

In fact, our research also showed us that the average time of possession at the pro level of play was 19 seconds. Consider that, then consider what differences in style of play could have been utilized with a more prudent display of time management.

Thirty-five seconds, dear readers, is a long time.

And finally, another key difference between coaching high school and coaching college is the age of the participants.

For an old, dyed-in-the wool high school basketball coach, stepping into the college scene with older players meant understanding the social habits of the college set and adjusting to the inherent differences between high school and college kids off the floor.

Yes, there were training rules, but once the games and the practices were completed, boys are boys, and, well, men are men – as long as they don’t break the law.

Next week, we’ll complete the trilogy and discuss professional hoops.

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