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The Eudora boys got back on the hardwood with coach Scott Stein last Monday during the week-long Super D camp. The girls, though, have been spending their Monday nights with coach Stein for a while now.

A selection of Eudora girls are participating in a Monday night summer basketball league at Baker University. In all, 22 players in grades nine through 12 are involved.

Ten of those players make up the first group, including many familiar faces: Rachel Abel, Michelle Deluna, Kelsey Epperson, Alissa Hamilton, Erin Kracl, Lauren Kracl, Carrie Lister, Ashley Moran, Kayla Moyer and Jodi Wingebach.

High school coaches are not allowed to directly coach their own players in the off-season. Thus, the girls needed a summer replacement for their regular coach Cara Kimberlin. That replacement is the experienced floor general Scott Stein.

"Cara approached me last spring, and when she asked, I had some free time so I decided to do it," Stein said.

The well-traveled teacher has been coaching basketball for 29 years. Of those nearly 30 years, Stein spent just three coaching girls. He spent two years coaching at Neodesha and a year as a varsity assistant at Shawnee Mission East.

"I enjoy coaching," Stein said. "Basketball is basketball, and coaching is coaching."

The girls' new coach has no intentions on altering his approach because of his players' gender.

"There's no difference," he said. "I believe in the fundamental things -- executing and doing them all the time. I look to get them to do those things and attempt to make them play hard."

The message appears to be getting through, Kimberlin said.

"It's fun to watch them rip the ball out of peoples' hands," she said. "They're running the floor well and running the break well. He's done a great job working with them. They really respect him."

Respect is something Stein's tenure in the profession demands. Kimberlin's observations seem to confirm the execution of Stein's intent.

"For me I want to see them make improvements," Stein said. "My goal is to have them get back in transition defense and know where the ball is going. I'm trying to improve their man-to-man defense. I want them to push the ball and stay aggressive. In general just improve their skills."

The girls play two games a night every Monday. A league game consists of two 20-minute halves with running clocks.

Stein balances playing time by splitting the team into groups.

"Basically I play a group for five minutes, a group for five minutes, a group for five minutes and so on," he explains. "If the game's close in the final quarter I'll make adjustments. We'll play to win."

The team plays hard and to win but don't ask the coach what their record is he doesn't know.

"I think we might have lost one," Stein said. "It's not a win-loss deal. More or less it's to see them improve on specific skills and play smart basketball."

Don't let Stein's indifference to the team's record fool you. He is a bit more relaxed and enjoying his time, but his passion for coaching and his in-game intensity is still quite evident.

"I've had a lot of them in class and they know I'm basically harmless," Stein said. "We've tried to work hard but we've had fun. There's a lot of joking and kidding. I'm not near as intense. I'll lighten up a bit."

The joking and kidding blurs when the action is live.

"When the clock's running I'm pretty much focused on the game, I'm demanding," he said. "I want to see them do it right and not get sloppy."

Sloppiness is something the team has had to deal with on game days. Because so many of the players are involved with other summer sports, such as softball, practices haven't been much of an option. In fact, the team has had only one practice to this point.

"We got together to see what we're going to do and we took it from there," Stein said.

Although practices haven't been much of an option, the veteran coach has been able to produce early results.

Kimberlin has welcomed the lending of Stein's experience and contrasting style to her girls.

"I do what Cara wants done," he said. "They get a little different flavor."

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