Schaefer returns to McPherson roots this week
When coach Scott Schaefer returns to the McPherson girls basketball tournament today for the first time in seven years, he anticipates a warm reception.
And he will probably get it.
Schaefer spent 13 seasons at McPherson, winning four Class 5A titles, and is in his seventh season as Gardner-Edgerton’s coach. The Blazers play Beloit at 6 p.m.
“I think it will be wonderful,” said Dave Chartier, whose daughters played for Schaefer and is a part of the McPherson Optimist Club, which puts on the tournament. “I think people are looking forward to it…. He did a nice job in the community and with the team. He put us back on the map in girls basketball. We had the years in the ’80s when we had the championships, but we had been pretty mediocre until he came in and brought the work ethic and the style of play. He got the best out of those kids.”
Gardner-Edgerton (9-1) beat then-No. 1-ranked Blue Valley last week.
Schaefer, who is in his seventh season at Gardner-Edgerton, remembers his time at McPherson fondly.
“I miss the community,” he said. “It was a real solid community at McPherson. I miss the stability of the people. They’re classy people. Just good folks…. The community here is developing. Football has helped that quite a bit here. But it still lacks a well-entrenched community.”
Not only is he pleased to return to McPherson for his own purposes, but also because this will be a good test for his team. Manhattan is ranked third by the coaches association in Class 6A, McPherson (10-0) is No. 2 in 4A, Andale No. 5 in 4A and Hays No. 8 in 5A.
McPherson and Gardner-Edgerton could meet in Friday’s semifinals.
“Initially I thought (coming to the tournament) was a pretty good idea,” Schaefer said. “Obviously we want to go where there’s a quality tournament, and I think there’s none better than there…. I hope I’m not putting too much pressure on our kids. We don’t talk about McPherson and all that. From my background, I don’t mention it very often. They are well aware of it.
“I hope it doesn’t squeeze them so much and they’re trying so hard. I’m a little leery that I’m a little selfish in going back there.”
If McPherson and Gardner-Edgerton meet on Friday, it will be odd for McPherson coach Chris Strathman and Schaefer, longtime friends, to be coaching against each other. Strathman spent 10 years as Schaefer’s assistant before succeeding him as McPherson’s coach.
McPherson and Gardner-Edgerton both qualified for the 2007 Class 5A tournament and could have met that year. Both lost in the first round. Gardner-Edgerton moved up to 6A this season, while McPherson dropped to 4A.
Strathman expects the teams to have similarities.
“I was watching some film (of Gardner-Edgerton Tuesday) night and we still do a lot of the same things. You can’t hear what stuff is called, but you could still pick up on some things we’ve done for years,” Strathman said. “There’s a lot of things that the teams do that are duplicates. We’re doing things differently, and he’s doing things I haven’t seen, but it was still kind of neat to watch.”