Nice has Bandon Tigers in the state playoffs for third consecutive season
Lawrence, Kan. (Feb. 23, 2016) – It’s still dark outside when Ken Nice, the director of agronomy at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore., heads out the door. But he is not headed to the golf resort where he oversees four golf courses. He’s off to the high school gym, where he is the head boys’ basketball coach of a team that is 21-4 and headed to the state playoffs for the third consecutive season.
His team practices each weekday morning at 5:50 a.m., and then Nice turns his attention to overseeing golf course management for one of the country’s top golf resorts. For the moment, however, Nice is getting more attention for being a winning coach.
His Tigers finished the regular season with nine consecutive wins and will enter the state Class AA playoffs Saturday (Feb. 27) with a No. 5 seed in a field of 16.
“We have had a pretty good season,” said Nice, who is in his sixth season as the boys’ coach. “I have four kids who could score 20 points on any given night, but we really focus on our half court defense and making our opponents earn their points.”
If Nice is forced to single out a player, it would be the versatile 6’5″ Tristian Davidson, a senior who has good jumping ability.
“He has the chance to be a good small college player,” said Nice. “But then I am biased because I have coached him, and he has been a four-year starter.”
Bandon High basketball is a hot topic in the small coastal town of 3,000, and the gym is packed on game nights.
“Members of our agronomy team have always been supportive of me doing this, and it is part of the culture that the company want us to integrate into the community here,” said Nice, a 19-year member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. “The head pro at Bandon Trails is the high school golf coach, and one of our caddies is the baseball coach. Mike Keiser (developer and owner) has created something special here, for golfers and for employees.”
Nice, age 51, is entering his 17th year at Bandon Dunes, which is still busy throughout the winter.
“We never shut down,” said Nice. “We have a full tee sheet all year long. The winter weather can be sensational here, with many mild days. We are only limited by the daylight in the winter.”
“The early morning practices are better for me and for the kids, “said Nice. “After school, they can have all the free time they want and I don’t have to be in a rush to leave work by a certain time.”
The 6’1″ Nice grew up with a love for basketball and was a 14-points-a-game scorer as a senior guard at Willamette University, an NAIA college in Salem, Ore. He was a good defender and a good shooter. And he studied other coaches, like the legendary Oregon State coach Ralph Miller.
“I got started as a result of spending my whole life in the gym during the winters,” said Nice. “I started coaching 14 years ago. I had two years as coach of the JV boys, and then six years coaching the girls’ teams before becoming the boys’ coach.
“I love it, especially when we have a good practice and I can see the kids getting better. The games are a different, because the scoreboard is what tells you if you did well or not. And I take our losses pretty hard.”
There haven’t been many losses these past two seasons, and the folks in Bandon, Ore., have come to know Nice as a winning basketball coach more than the director of agronomy at one of the top golf resorts in the country.
And Nice wouldn’t want it any other way.
About GCSAA and the EIFG
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. Visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game. Visit EIFG at www.eifg.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Contact:
Craig Smith, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Phone: 800-472-7878, ext. 4431 or 785-691-9197 (cell)
csmith@gcsaa.org
