Montezuma-Cortez High School junior Jay Rainer is the starting forward on the M-CHS Panthers basketball team.
Now, the second-team All-Southwestern Conference post is coaching from the sidelines, as the head man of the local fifth- and sixth-grade Amateur Athletic Union basketball team, the Survivors.
The 12-person roster practices at the Cortez Middle School Gym under Rainer, and assistant coach Christian Chupp, who is a junior on the Panthers basketball team.
We just kind of make sure the kids know what theyre doing and everything, Rainer said.
The Survivors have so far played in AAU tournaments in Albuquerque, N.M., and Pagosa Springs, where they placed third. The team has been invited to play in summer tournaments in Salt Lake City, Utah, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, Nev., and Window Rock, Ariz.
However, most AAU tournaments cost $400 to $500 to register for, and thats not including travel expenses. Rainer has to plan fundraising as well.
The parents have been really involved a lot. Everyones parents have helped a ton, Rainer said about the fundraising. Depending if we can raise enough money or not, were going go try and play in at least two of those (tournaments).
Some of the fundraising has been done by having a Navajo taco stand and spaghetti dinner. With the warmer weather approaching, Rainer plans to have team car washes and informs people to lookout for their flyers around town.
The major city AAU tourneys have 150 to 200 teams participating. Rainer feels the Albuquerque tournament was a good learning experience for his squad.
We didnt do so well, but the kids learned a lot about needing to pay attention and practice a lot harder just things that are good to learn early, he said.
Coaching has been a good learning experience for Rainer, too.
Shoot, its a lot of fun. Its turning out to be my passion, he said. I have a couple of jokers on the team that like to mess around a little and get off task. But whenever were out actually at a game and I see them beating a team, theres no better feeling in the world, (that) they actually applied what they learned. Theyre actually striving to be successful.
Rainer didnt have a chance to compete at the AAU level growing up and says that is the major driving force behind coaching the Survivors.
I want them to learn the basics. That way, they dont have to concentrate on it later on in their life and they can actually win more, he said.
Rainer feels that since his kids are getting to see stiff competition from around the country at an early age, that will prepare them for winning when they are older.
Once you start traveling, you realize, man, if I would have worked a lot harder when I was younger, I could have been a lot better, Rainer said. These kids are actually getting that chance because they get exposed to it at an earlier age.
The Colorado Springs tourney is June 17-19, the Salt Lake City tourney is June 28 to July 2, and the Las Vegas tourney is July 22.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.