Richard Anderson photo
Laramie head coach Jason Mountain, right, demonstrates a defensive move in a recent practice.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Jason Mountain doesn’t have years of experience in running a basketball program one way. Even if he did, that probably wouldn’t happen.
In this third year as Laramie High School head boys’ basketball coach and eighth year in the program, Mountain is only about 10 years from leading the Plainsmen to the state title game when he was a senior in high school.
When he took over for Rob Richardson two years ago, he led the Plainsmen to the state title game. Last year, Laramie also qualified for the state tournament. Time will tell if Mountain can get this year’s Plainsmen into title contenders. But that is always in the back of his mind.
Laramie opened the season Thursday at the McDonald’s Basketball Classic in Cheyenne and March is still a long ways away.
Mountain has confidence in this year’s team and certainly in the way he coaches.
“I don’t feel like I am necessarily as green as I may seem,” Mountain said. “I feel like I am starting to finally get a handle on things and understand how the politics of the game works, how the dynamic of practices go, how the whole situation works and breaks down with games and traveling and all of that stuff.”
It’s not that Mountain didn’t have a grasp on much of that before, but by mixing in a few Xs and Os, going to a few coaching clinics, he now takes things a little more serious as a head coach. He’s beginning to realize that his philosophy is changing from year-to-year as well.
“I’m learning more innovative ways to do things, and taking things from coaches that I like and getting rid of things I have taken from other coaches that thought I had liked,” he said. “I feel like I am getting more and more prepared each year. I just have to keep telling myself that I am trying to build a program here, so be patient and don’t hope for that instant gratification, it doesn’t happen over night.”
Two seasons ago, though, Mountain probably didn’t think that way. After all, he was a rookie head coach in the state title game. The Plainsmen fell to a very good Casper Natrona squad, but just Laramie’s appearance opened some eyes, especially those of the young head coach.
“It was bittersweet having that championship game come my way my first year, but I also felt that that team was capable,” he said. “I think I also made some good decisions in the post-season and my team played well. It just happened that my team peaked at the right time.”
Laramie was just 8-19 overall, although the Plainsmen did make another appearance at the state tournament.
“Last year, we did well to get to state, but the whole year certainly could have gone better for us,” he said.
Don’t expect Mountain to sit back and settle on one style or one coaching philosophy. In his mind, coaching high school athletics is all about being patient and adapting.
“I’m not going to sit here and say that there are not coaches who are amazing at doing the same thing year-in and year-out,” Mountain said. “I guess I feel like I have to adapt with the times and adapt with the players and work with the arsenal that I am given. I feel that if I have to mold kids into one system, it just doesn’t work for me. I high school, you can’t recruit. If I have a bunch of bigs one year, I might want to play to their strengths, play to their talent. If the next year I don’t have a lot of big players, I might want to play something that highlights the strength of my guards -- can we transition more, can I run a continuity offense? I think it is about adapting and changing with the times.”
Mountain’s overall coaching philosophy? Defensively, he said he is working on being a good man-to-man coach.
“Coaches are really a good zone coach or a really good man-to-man defensive coach. I want to be the type of coach who eventually gets my players to be able to work hard on defense the entire game,” he said. “I have always been a believer that defense wins championships and offense wins games.”
On offense, the faster, the better … that is, while still being under control.
“I like my guys to be able to score in transition and not have to set it up every time,” Mountain said. “It seems like my first couple of years, I have had to kind of slow things down at times.
That hasn’t been enjoyable to me, but that was what I have had to work with. This year, I think I can let the horses loose and let them play and create on their own. They have great basketball minds and they are great independent thinkers.”
Of course, Mountain thinks back to his playing days with the Plainsmen. He was one to never sit still.
“I never liked slowing it down much, being real methodical,” he said. “I certainly draw off my own personal experiences as a player, what worked best for me and what I enjoyed the most. I think every coach takes that with them and plays off of it.”
With that in mind, Mountain said most players like the quicker game, as well as the fans.
“They like an up-tempo game where there is a lot of scoring and a lot of fun. It works for me,” he said.
Mountain is rapidly putting a stamp on his program -- his entire program -- beginning with Rage Youth Basketball, a league he formed for young players in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Next year, he is going to expand the program to seventh grade. This past fall, he had about 200 young players learning the game.
“It’s been phenomenal for us. It has been a great feeder program,” he said. “Kids, when they start coming up in the seventh grade, they know a little bit more. It’s about fine-tuning, so when they come to us as freshmen, they know how to shoot a layup, they know what a defensive stance is instead of being so raw. It will help myself and the next coach down the road, helping them be competitive every single game and every single year.”
If that happens, Mountain, a physical education teacher at Slade Elementary School, will have basketball control of every grade in town.
“That’s exactly where I want to be,” he said.
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