Adair returns to lead Prospect's program

The Prospect girls softball team will have a new coach next spring.

Well, kind of new.

Jim Adair, who coached the team in 2001 and 2002, is taking over the reigns again.

"Can you believe I re-upped as the head coach?" he said. "Neither could anyone else. This might sound weird but I think I've matured a lot, even as a middle-aged adult, since my last stint as head coach."

In those two seasons, the Knights went 30-36 with impressive wins over Mundelein, Stevenson and Fremd.

In 18 years of coaching softball at Prospect, Adair is 226-225-8. Most of those games are at the junior varsity level.

Adair has been in education for 30 years, 24 at Prospect, where he has taught social studies for the last 11.

He worked in the special education department for 17 years and was originally a health and physical education teacher.

He has also coached wrestling for 15 years and football for 10 at Prospect, making him one of the most experienced coaches at the school.

Adair said he got all caught up in the minutiae of running the program in the early 2000s and simply wasn't having any fun.

"For me, softball's always been about putting in as much hard work as it takes to win and, as the junior varsity coach, all I had to worry about was 'my team,'" he said. "I liked the idea that I didn't have to order socks, schedule gym times, worry about buses, etc- All I had to do was show up to coach and watch great kids get better."

But Adair says he has a new attitude now and believes he learned a lot from the first time around.

"I want to build on the principles and work ethic that Brenda Martin (former coach) established and add my own ideas along the way," said Adair. "We've got some fantastic, talented players here at Prospect and a great tradition as a winning softball program.

"I think the 2011 campaign will be a huge leap for us. I think we're just a few small steps away from becoming a very dangerous team to play."

Adair can't recall too many head coaches who walked away and then came back to the post.

"But I think that the team really needed me to do this," he said. "After all, this is their team and this is not about me, it's about whatever I can do to help them achieve their potential and that's going to be my focus. It's all about them, not me."

Adair says the tough thing about being the head coach is making everyone happy at the same time.

"In fact, I'm going to disappoint all but nine of the kids every time I post the starting lineup," he said. "Last year, I think these kids paid their dues and one of my big jobs is going to be to convince them that yeah, sure, they've competed and been right there in some games.

"But now it's time to start winning those games. I think we're just a little bit of confidence away from being a contender."

Adair likes his returning group.

"We've got great veteran pitchers in junior Hanna Lythberg (all-area last season) and senior Samantha Mangrum and the rest of the team is maturing right behind them," the new coach said. "And we've got a returning all-conference player in Mary Styzek."

Adair is also looking for big things from varsity veterans Nikki Surico and Nicole Naranjo.

"We've got a nucleus of solid players and I'm looking for us to have a great 2011 campaign," he said.

Adair believes the younger kids in the program have lots of potential, too.

"So the future looks very bright," he said. "We need to get that Prospect swagger back. My immediate goal is to get our team back into the Top 20 list (in the Daily Herald). That's our first step."