He’s the Mark
of a good coach

By Joe Mason
For the Times

The post-game huddle usually consists of a few compliments and a lot of criticism.
If his team missed key free throws, then Cardinal Dougherty High School basketball coach Mark Heimerdinger will address it.
If the team’s defensive intensity wasn’t up to his liking, he’ll review his players’ assignments and try to motivate them to play a little harder.
If the players failed to run the offensive sets to perfection, they’ll hear about it.
Every game, the team receives its share of tough love by way of a critique from the coach. The most minor thing will be discussed.
Heimerdinger’s teachings, it seems, are getting through.
He has guided the Dougherty basketball team to a 78-6 record in the Catholic League Northern Division over the past six seasons — or roughly a 13-1 record each year.
During that span, the Cardinals have finished 14-0 three times and have claimed five divisional crowns. They also have won eight playoff games.
It means that since the 2002 season, Heimerdinger has guided Dougherty to more playoff wins than the team has regular-season losses. But that’s not just a result of having strong talent on his team. Dougherty did have three players who went on to play for Division 1 colleges in 2004, when Shane Clark and Kyle Lowry moved on to Villanova while DeSean White headed for Providence.
That Dougherty team, which went to the Catholic League finals but lost to St. Joseph’s Prep in 2003 and again the following year, did have a load of talent.
Things have been a little different since. But despite having a small squad with not nearly as much talent, Dougherty has maintained its winning ways. Much of that has to do with the guidance of the coach and a lot of hard work from his players.
"After a game, there have been times where we won by fifteen and I’m in there complaining about something," Heimerdinger said. "Sometimes a player will say, ‘But coach, we won by fifteen.’ Then I’ll have to say, ‘Yeah, but we could have won by twenty-five.’
"When I, as a coach, accept mistakes and become complacent, that’s when we’ll stop getting better," Heimerdinger explained. "The reason I guess you could say I’m happy is because we didn’t stop getting better. We continued to work hard, and the players, to their credit, bought into the system."
Hook, line and sinker.
When Dougherty fell to St. Joseph’s Prep, 84-61, it looked like the school’s run was over.
That was the final year for Lowry, who now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA, Clark, who is starring at Villanova, and White, who played for La Salle University last year but transferred to Delaware this year.
Behind them, Dougherty’s cupboard looked pretty bare. In fact, the only underclassman who got regular time with that squad was Kyle Sample. But Sample transferred to Northeast High School before graduating in 2005.
Instead of panicking, Heimerdinger turned to a sophomore-laden lineup.
Though always hoping for a championship, Heimerdinger just wanted improvement. Instead, the Cardinals won 11 games and made it back to La Salle University for a Catholic League semifinal game.
"If someone would have told me that that team would have gone to the Catholic League semifinals, I would have laughed in their face," Heimerdinger admitted. "I think it was a mixture of a lot of things. They were too young to get nervous, they were pretty talented, and they were willing to learn. I like to play a certain style, and these kids were willing, for the most part, to give up their way of wanting to play and play our way.
"We have a pretty good staff that put a lot of hours in each week, and when you have players who are willing to work with you, in all honesty, it makes coaching fun and winning that much better," the coach added.
Heimerdinger realizes that, at this point in his career, things are a lot different. As most longtime Catholic League referees can attest, he’s now a little quieter. And though the players may not realize it, Heimerdinger, who has piled up 430 wins during his career, is now considered a player’s coach — at least when compared to his younger days.
What’s most amazing about Heimerdinger, perhaps, is that he can relate very well to his players. Even though he was never a world-class basketball player during his days at Archbishop Ryan — he scored just seven career points on the varsity team — he still knows what to say to his players, and, more important, when to say it.
"You just have to be honest with them, explain to them why you’re saying what you’re saying and then be there for them should they have any questions or concerns," the coach said.
That theory works pretty well.
"Coach is real cool," said Kahlil Mumford, the Northern Division Most Valuable Player who has started for Heimerdinger for three years. "He works you hard. When I was a sophomore, I liked him, but I like him a lot more now. He’s a good coach and a real good guy."
"You have to respect a guy like coach Heimerdinger because he makes us better," said junior guard Isiah Mason. "I have a lot of respect for him, and I love having him as a coach. You look at him and you think he wouldn’t understand us, but he does. He understands and cares about us. We all respect him."
Respect is nice. So are wins.
But Heimerdinger, whose team fell for the third straight year in the Catholic League semifinals, losing 62-44 to Roman Catholic at the Palestra on Feb. 28, wants more. He wants to help produce the next generation of young men. To him, that’s what coaching is all about.
"I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to win, and I think any coach who says that would be lying," Heimerdinger said. "But it is nice to see guys who I’ve coached who are doing well, usually away from basketball.
"So I care about everything," Heimerdinger added. "From November until March, sometimes a little later, my focus is on basketball. But when it’s over and I calm down a little, I can enjoy the other things." ••