Casa coach steps away

The man who guided the Casa Grande High School basketball program through perhaps the darkest period in its history is stepping aside.

Gaucho varsity basketball coach Jake Lee announced to his players last week that he would not be returning for a fifth season as leader of the program.

Lee said the biggest reason for his decision was to devote more time to his classroom teaching.

Lee was chosen to coach the Gauchos following the untimely death from cancer of James Forni, one of the most respected and well-liked coaches of any sport ever at Casa Grande High School.

Although wins were sometimes hard to come by, Lee kept the Casa program competitive while its players maintained the integrity and upheld the principles taught by Forni.

“Jake did an incredible job stepping in not only as a basketball coach but as a teacher and leader,” said Casa Grande athletic director Rick O’Brien.

“He was a perfect fit to carry on the extremely high bar that James Forni set in terms of character and integrity. What he did was important not only for the players but for the Casa community.”

“I want to be the best teacher I can be and that is hard to do with the time coaching takes,” Lee said to explain his decision.

In a sense, Lee’s teaching and coaching careers were opposite from the normal professional pathway. He was still working toward his teaching credential when he took over the basketball program.

He was coaching full time when he obtained his credential, and he was hired to be a full-time teacher at Casa Grande. He teaches government economics, world history and social studies. His students range from sophomores through seniors.

He credits Kenilworth Junior High School teacher Colin Caldwell (“He made history fun”) and Casa Grande teacher Mavis Weir (“She explained how the world works in a way students could understand”) with starting him on a teaching path.

He learned much about coaching working as an assistant for Forni, but stepping in as head coach was a real eye opener.

“There were definitely positives and negatives,” he said.

“On the positive side was playing for and coaching with James. It was the second highest honor, after marrying my wife (Britney), of my life.

“It was also an honor to work with the players. I had four classes of seniors. I hope they all got something beneficial from the program.

“On the negative, I saw a new side of the interaction between youth sports and coaches. This was the first year I haven’t received a hate letter.”

Lee’s job was obviously complicated by having to help the players handle Forni’s passing while dealing with his own grief.

“There wasn’t an operator’s manual,” Lee said.

He admitted it was difficult.

“I had to keep a strong face so everyone else could move past it,” he said. “I was trying to fill James’ shoes and deal with my own emotions at the same time.

“I went from a part-time job to an overtime job way too fast.”

Of course, Lee wasn’t in the emotional pressure cooker alone. He had help from his assistant coaches, his uncle, Rick Duarte, who was unofficial team manager for Forni and provided the same services for Lee.

He also had the strong support from the Forni family and especially from the former coach’s widow, Mary. “She was amazing through the whole process,” Lee said.

Meanwhile, out on the court, Lee’s Gauchos were contending with the tough teams in the North Bay League.

“There is not a single give-me in that league,” he said. He noted that he was quickly accepted by the other coaches.

“They were all very friendly and helpful,” he said.

While playing in the NBL was tough, it was what happened off the court that was most difficult for Lee.

“I didn’t know 80 percent of what James did,” he said. “The paper work was incredible. Dealing with that was the biggest learning curve.”

By this season, Lee’s Gauchos had moved into the new Vine Valley Athletic League; he had two other former Gauchos, Chris Gutendorf and Austin Mattos, helping him with the varsity and there was good leadership from seniors who had been in his program from the beginning.

“It had a lot to do with senior leadership, and the coaching staff was incredible,” he noted.

The result was a 14-13 season, the first winning season for a Lee-coached team, and a strong run for a North Coast Section playoff berth.

“It really was a nice end note,” he said. “It was a little bit of a confirmation that what we were teaching was right.”

Now, Lee is stepping away from the court to pursue what he calls “That Ah Ha! moment” in the classroom.

But he knows that come November he will find something missing, and it will be more than just basketball games.

“I’m going to miss the players, but I’m also going to miss the Gaucho community - the extended network that is the Gaucho family,” he explained.