Resourceful Programs Give Media an Assist : Relations: With brochures and guides of their own teams, three area coaches have taken a page from the colleges and pros.

While some high school coaches do their best to deter media coverage, others go out of their way to assist the media.

Dean Bradshaw of Simi Valley, Mike Plaisance of Village Christian and Jay Gudzin of Burroughs are leaders in the latter group.

Bradshaw, in his fifth season as the Pioneers’ basketball coach, produces an elaborate 108-page media guide. The 17-year-old guide, started by former Coach Bob Hawking, is patterned after media guides issued by professional and college teams.

Using similar formats, it includes school records, past performances and full-page profiles of current players. Advertising space is sold in the guides, which are available to the public for $3 at games.

Free of charge, guides are sent to those advertisers who buy space in the guide, colleges recruiting Bradshaw’s players, and campus staff. Bradshaw had 1,200 guides printed for the 1992-93 season.

“My biggest fear when I took the job was not X’s and O’s but following in Hawking’s footsteps with the media guide,” Bradshaw said. “Each year it keeps getting better and better.

“(Georgia Tech basketball Coach) Bobby Cremins said it’s the best high school media guide he had seen across the country.”

As if Plaisance, the Village Christian boys’ athletic director and football coach, does not have enough to keep him busy throughout the year, he also designs, writes and edits a football media guide.

“It’s a way for me to keep my mind on my kids,” Plaisance said. “The kids and parents just love it.

“Each year it keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

At Burroughs, Gudzin, who recently completed his first season as co-coach of the football team, oversees the production of a weekly media packet.

“We really appreciate the coverage, so we just try to help any way we can,” Gudzin said. “What you guys do is a very important part of the high school picture.”

The 24-page 1992 Village Christian guide--featuring a color cover of the team in a huddle--includes individual and team records, photocopies of newspaper clippings from the previous season, biographical sketches of coaches and players, pictures of players and information about the school. Plaisance had 250 copies printed, which he distributed to players, family members and newspapers that cover the school.

Each week, the coaching staff at Burroughs sends its media packets to newspapers that cover the school. The packets include weekly statistical updates on the team and players, notes on players’ performances from the most recent game and the season to that point. The staff also produces a year-ending packet that chronicles the season.

Many schools list rosters and miscellaneous information about teams in game programs, but those are not created specifically with the media in mind. The guides and the media packets are more in-depth than the typical high school game programs.

Plaisance put together a 12-page guide for the ’87 season in the school’s print shop. A professional printing shop operated by friends of the school now prints the guide. Village Christian is charged only for materials required in printing.

Burroughs first sent out packets in 1979 but discontinued them in ’85. Gudzin reinstated the packets when he became co-coach.

He and co-Coach Marty Garrison compile and write the information for the packets along with help from their coaching assistants. It takes them several hours during the week. The school plans to produce a guide next fall in addition to the packets.

The schools are extremely proud of their products.

“It’s great (public relations) for the program,” Bradshaw said. “It’s real prestige.”

Said Gudzin: “It’s something that we all feel very good about. This is a good way for us to help our kids get as much recognition as possible.”

Plaisance agreed.

Said Plaisance: “I try to make it as professional as I can to give the kids something to be proud of. We try to get as much media coverage as possible for the kids. I think this has helped.”