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Converse & Baker
Give this question a try: Converse & Baker are
(a) the North Country's newest law firm
(b) a new pastry shop on Margaret Street
(c) the latest popular brand of sneakers
(d) the North Country's longest-running coaching tandem.
Look around the CVAC basketball gyms and you will notice that the boys' basketball coaching ranks are being taken over by the young guys with full heads of dark hair and not much need of a razor. Don Carlisto at Saranac Lake, Brenden Gotham at Lake Placid, Chris Hartmann at Plattsburgh High School, Mike Recore at Northern Adirondack and Matt Berry at Peru Central all have movie star looks. They could rival Tom Cruise in any local theatre. Then there's Ryan Converse at Beekmantown, whose coaching attire is a custom-fit dark suit, looking like he's more likely to be seen on the Hollywood Red Carpet than a locker room. And don't be surprised if Northeastern Clinton Central's fuzzy-cheeked coach Robb Garrand gets mistaken for Brad Pitt. And if Ticonderoga's Dan Dorsett decides to give up coaching I think a movie role might be waiting.
Thank goodness there's still a place for Sean Connery and Robert Redford! Into the gym steps Larry Converse and Jim Baker of Seton Catholic Central. Now those guys are coaches! Since 1989 when Mount Assumption Institute and St. John's Academy, Plattsburgh's two remaining Catholic high schools, merged, Converse and Baker have teamed up as the boys' varsity and junior varsity coaches. Longer running than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Converse and Baker have taught basketball and sportsmanship almost as long as some of their younger counterparts have been living.
And next Saturday at the Section 7 Class C finals Larry Converse and Jim Baker will be there side-by-side looking for another championship. Both men coached at St. John's Academy prior to the centralization of the city's parochial schools. Converse came over from a brief stint at Beekmantown, and joined Baker, a Plattsburgh High School graduate, on the Irish's coaching team. When Seton Catholic Central School was created, it seemed like a natural fit, and, boy, has it worked -- for 17 years and counting.
Converse and Baker have been on more road trips, shared more stories, watched more basketball games and eaten more post-game meals together than you would want to know! You can't picture one without the other. They are the Abbott & Costello, the Brooks & Dunn, the Simon & Garfunkel of the CVAC. Some wonder how long can this can go on. In a time when so many things are temporary, so many things are here today and gone tomorrow, it's nice to know that Sean Connery and Robert Redford are still making movies. Likewise, it wouldn't be the same without Larry Converse and Jim Baker on the Seton Catholic sidelines. I don't see any reason why things should change. Here's hoping they stay on the Seton sidelines for a few more decades!
Comments
Glad to see you mention Simon and Garfunkel. I love them almost as much as I love the Beatles.
By the by, I also know much more about the Who, Zeppelin, and the rest than I did when I was in your class. :-P
Posted by: Lizz | March 17, 2006 6:17 PM
Foxy,
Chris Hartmann, movie star looks???? What movie are you watching.......Friday the 13th! Chris is, however, the second best looking person at his house.
Love ya buddy,
Tin Man
PS. Great Job this year!
Posted by: Ed McCallister | March 6, 2006 10:28 AM
Do you realize how you have now changed Angie Carlisto's life forever? He has been telling her this for years and now it is in print!!
Posted by: Cindy Hovland | February 28, 2006 1:22 PM
Foxy: Thank you for writing this blog on two people that have been mentors to me in my life as coaches and have now become two of my close friends. Larry Converse and Jim Baker exemplify what it means to be a coach. They put so much time into making Seton Catholic a better place as well as their basketball programs, summer league, and AAU. There is no question in my mind that what they do is for the love of the game as well as the enjoyment of developing young players to not only become better basketball players but also to become better people.
Josh Harrica
Posted by: Josh Harrica | February 28, 2006 8:32 AM