THE SIDELINES : Coach in Gulf, Team Vows Victory

Before Linden High School Coach Willie Scott was deployed to the Persian Gulf with his Army Reserve unit, he was convinced that this year his team would make it to the state basketball tournament.

In his absence, the aptly named Patriots are determined to get to the playoffs and win for their coach.

“It is really hard on us,” senior center Roy Rogers said. “The main thing we want to do in the back of our minds is to win the state tournament for him.”

Scott left with the Army Reserve’s 324th Personnel-Administration Unit, based at nearby Livingston, on Nov. 26 to join Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia.

Senior Mark Williams said he sometimes imagines Scott glaring at him from the sidelines when he makes a mistake in a game. “No matter what he said, that look was the worst part about it,” Williams said.