Ashmore and Newark roll on

Kevin McCarthy
 

Act right, work hard, basketball is third. No, Craig Ashmore doesn’t stand preaching in a pulpit nor does he write self-help books for the unwashed. As he would humbly put it, that’s way above his pay grade. But he does instruct the members of his Newark Memorial (NM) High boys basketball team and his formula for advancement that leads off this article, in all its on and off the court applications, has proven remarkably fruitful.

The evidence? Here’s the record for Newark Memorial the last six years -- 30-5, 27-6, 26-8, 20-8, 22-8 and 29-5. This despite less than a handful of Cougars being bestowed with D-1 scholarships upon graduation. Additionally, NM hasn’t lost a league game in eight years.

Ashmore offers many attributions for this success, labeling it the coming together of many factors.

"Our freshman coach been here for 8-9 years, it’s 10 years for the JV coach, they are part of the school," he explained. "Plus, our town has good lower level coaches."

He continued, "we’re sort of boring guys who don’t have a lot to do. So we’ll open the gym if someone calls and wants to shoot."

Ashmore also lauds the amenities and the Newark area itself

"We have a great facility, with resources like a shooting machine," he said, adding "we have just one high school in town and kids grow up here wanting to achieve the same thing [what came before]."

Then there are his playing system and the kids who take it to heart.

"We’re a blue collar town and physical play goes with that. Every possession we are going to guard. They [his players] believe in defense and in being tough. They want to do it, it’s their choice. They buy in and take it to heart. We run hills in the fall -- now they like to do it [as opposed to a chore]. We are not always blessed with great players. Sometimes we do have them, but not always. So we’ll make it kind of ugly. We’ll play five guards if that’s what it takes, trapping, pressing and being physical. These kids, even if they don’t score much, they’re still excited when we win."

He offered an example of the team ethic: "I was off with my daughter to Cal Poly and the kids organized a lifting session on their own. It’s the leadership of the kids that made it happen."

Nobody relishes going up against Newark Memorial and Ashmore used De La Salle as another example. "Nobody wants to play them because it’s like sitting in a dentist chair for two hours. We also want teams leaving the court knowing it was tough to play us."

As for the personal, the Ashmore family is part of the thread of Newark. To employ an ancient phrase, call them the Ashmores of Newark

"My son is a freshman here, my daughter was a cheerleader and my wife is a principal in the district."

And not surprisingly, the coach is a mirror of his players

"I was a junior college kid, an average player who had to scrap and be tough," Ashmore explained. He played under Coach Bob Burton at West Valley College, then transferred to Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay).

"I learned a lot from him [Burton]," Ashmore offered.

Plus, there is a basketball gene circulating in the Ashmore clan. "My Dad played at San Jose State (a point guard in the 1950s) and then spent three decades in coaching." During games, the elder Ashmore can be found alongside his son on the Newark Memorial bench.

As for 2010-2011, the Cougars are "going to be pretty young and not all that big" per Ashmore. The top contributors are expected to be junior Casey Norris, senior Kendall Andrews, junior Yusuf Farogui and Kenneth Jones, a junior who recently moved to Newark. Plus, a freshman or two have possibilities.

For some, success becomes an anchor weight, wrought with the burden of continuance. With the self-effacing Ashmore, it’s a treasured community responsibility.