Removing the Anger From His Game

In the trials and tribulations of coaching, there’s inevitably going to be a moment of turmoil, whether dealing with a player, parent, official or principal. How a coach responds could enhance or end a coaching career.

In the case of Russell White of Calabasas, his turning point came two years ago in the third quarter of the Marmonte League championship boys’ basketball game against Moorpark. White was ejected for arguing with the officials.

It produced a scene of chaos and controversy, with fans, players and officials seemingly out of control.

“It was pretty much mayhem all around,” guard Drew Housman recalled.

White went outside the gymnasium at Westlake Village Westlake and felt immediate remorse. Most important, he didn’t make excuses for his conduct. He recognized what had happened was four years in the making.

“I compared it to a drunk dad seeing himself on a video camera,” said White, 32. “I never watched the tape, but I didn’t have to. Not only was I embarrassing my team and my program but my family.”

White changed in ways other coaches sometimes refuse to change. He stopped berating officials and started paying more attention to what he could control, his players.

“He’s always had a love for kids, but it was buried in his own vocalization and antics on the court,” Principal Jay Guidetti said.

White, in his sixth year as a varsity coach, still yells at his players but understands that constant yelling results in no one listening to what he’s saying. The same goes for dealing with the officials.

Aided by maturity and foresight, White has become a better coach. In fact, what he has accomplished at Calabasas makes him one of the top young coaches in Southern California.

Calabasas had never won a league championship in boys’ basketball since the school opened in 1975. This season, the drought ended.

The Coyotes clinched their first Marmonte League championship on Wednesday and finished the regular season with a 23-4 record and No. 2 ranking in Southern Section Division II-A.

Last season, the Coyotes reached the Division III-AA championship game before losing to Santa Margarita.

Besides the Harvard-bound Housman, Calabasas has 6-foot-7 junior center Mark Einhorn, an improving post player, and 6-4 junior Conrad Fitzgerald, who might be the best athlete on campus.

White’s passion for basketball and teaching, combined with improved talent, have sent Calabasas on a path to success.

Some still might question whether White has really changed, knowing it’s easier to deal with officials when the team is winning.

But he was tested on Jan. 28 when his team was routed by Simi Valley, 65-46. White started losing patience with the officials.

“I was getting bad,” he said. “I sat myself down the last four minutes of the game because I was starting to talk to them too much. I felt myself being dumb.”

White’s coaching career could have come to an abrupt halt two years ago if he didn’t learn to change his focus.

He has come to understand the important role he must play.

“Ultimately, as a coach, our job is to get the most out of the players,” he said.

And let the officials do theirs.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com