South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

“Basketball is all I’ve ever done. I’ll probably die either playing or coaching,” laughs Lanier County High head basketball coach Jared Garner. While he may chuckle when he makes statements like the one above, he’s very serious. The second-year head coach comes from what he calls “a big basketball family.” He and his older brother, Shan, played at Echols County High, and both became basketball coaches after college. (Shan is the women’s head basketball coach just down the road at Lowndes High.) Jared’s parents both played in high school and remain devoted fans of the game to this day. “My parents are basketball fanatics. My mom could coach a high school team if she wanted to. She really knows the game. My dad is a huge fan as well,” says Jared.

Jared grew up in tiny Echols County, where he played basketball and baseball. He was a 6’1” small forward who also played a little guard. He wasn’t the best athlete on the floor, but he was always one of the smartest. His knowledge of the game and his tremendous drive to succeed made up for his admitted lack of athleticism. “Basketball smarts got me through my career. I beat better athletes because I knew more about the game,” he says.

He was also a first baseman for the Wildcats’ baseball team and had more success playing baseball than he did with basketball. After he graduated from Echols, he played baseball at Thomas University in Thomasville, but the higher costs associated with attending a private school like Thomas ended his career after just one year. “I always had more success with baseball. I was more geared athletically to baseball, but basketball was my first love,” he says.

After one year at Thomas, Jared transferred to Valdosta State University. In 2004, he graduated from VSU and entered the coaching field. He landed his first job at Colquitt County High as a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach. After three years at Colquitt County, an opportunity presented itself in Lanier County. He applied for the job and ended up becoming the head basketball coach for the Bulldogs. In addition to coaching basketball, he also teaches biology.

Jared says he became a coach because he wanted to make sure high school athletes had opportunities to excel both on the court and in the classroom. “I want kids to have an opportunity to play a game that I love,” he says. He believes in hard work, and he expects the best out of his players. So far, his teams have responded. Last year, his first as head coach, the Bulldogs finished 20-10 and made the state playoffs for the first time since 2000. Lanier finished second in the region to rival  Clinch  County.  Coach  Garner  started

four freshmen and had a great deal of adversity to overcome – particularly in terms of experience level. “We were young, but we had a very talented core group of players,” he says.

For 2009-2010, the Bulldogs have a well-defined and concise goal: to compete for the 1-A region title and make a strong run in the playoffs. A region championship automatically translates into an appearance in the state playoffs. And that should give Lanier a good draw once the postseason begins. “If we can win region, we should have a good showing in the playoffs,” says Coach Garner. Of course, sitting there in the back of his mind is a state title. He doesn’t want to dwell on a state championship, but he feels his team has the talent to go all the way. “I know we have enough talent to play for state, but I just don’t know if we have the experience. But once you get into the playoffs, you never know what might happen. The state title has been on the west side of the state for a while. We’d like to bring it back east.”

The Bulldogs have shown they have the gritty determination to hang with some of the best players in the area, classification notwithstanding. In the second game of the year, Lanier took the short drive up Highway 221 and faced the Lowndes Vikings. The Bulldogs shocked the mighty Vikings, defeating them in on their home court in a very close game. Lowndes and Lanier ended up in a rematch during the Vikings’ Christmas tournament. This time, Lowndes had an antidote for Coach Garner’s Bulldogs. “They sucked us into their style of play. They press and trap, and we don’t play that way,” he says. Lowndes knew that free throws are a point of weakness for Lanier, and they put Bulldog after Bulldog on the line. Lanier missed 18 foul shots and also committed too many turnovers. Still, the game was a close one, and Lowndes squeaked by with a five-point win.

The Bulldogs also played Valdosta High and had to contend with last year’s 5A Player of the Year, Jay Rome. “We keyed in on Jay. He’s a great high school player. We kept mentioning his name in practice, and we needed to play to his level,” says Coach Garner. Lanier showed it was up to the challenge; with two minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs were holding on to a five-point lead. But the lack of experience was working against them. “Our inexperience, both mine as a head coach and theirs as young players, hurt us at the end of that game,” recalls Coach Garner. Valdosta tied the game and forced overtime. In the extra period, the Wildcats made a good run and came away with the win, albeit a narrow one. “Again, we missed a lot of free throws and key shots late. But it was a great game, and it was good to be a part of a game like that,” says Coach Garner.

At the time of this interview, the Bulldogs were 11-2 and 3-0 in the region. Lanier’s wins include victories over Clinch, Portal and Washington County in the Bulldogs’ annual Christmas tournament. Portal is one of the top single-A teams in the state, and Washington County is a top-10 3A program. “We caught Washington on an off-night and beat them. We beat three quality teams in our tournament,” he says. The win over Washington kept the tournament championship in Lakeland.

Coach Garner’s team is doing so well because, quite simply, that’s what he expects them to do. He demands that they show up every day and do their best. “I expect hard work. Basketball can teach you a lot about life. You come in on days when you don’t feel like it. Maybe you had a bad day at school or at home. But you go to work and do what it takes to be successful. I want my players to work hard,” he says. Garner has never coached against his older brother, but he hopes that one day the two could coach together. “I would love to coach under him. I feel like we could build a good program,” he says. The brothers talk often, and as one might expect, basketball dominates the conversation. “We talk every day. We watch each other play and compare notes. I take his advice more than I give him advice. He’s a great older brother, and he’s a smart coach who knows the game.”

Coach Garner has plenty of time to devote to his craft. He’s never been married and has no children. He is in a relationship with Jordanna Carter, who coaches the women’s basketball team at Jared’s alma mater, Echols County High. •