Carter, Porto quite familiar with surroundings at Larkin, BC

The area has some new coaching blood. Or is it old blood?

Two of the new boys basketball coaches in the Fox Valley area this season - Deryn Carter at Larkin and Brett Porto at Burlington Central - are supplying their former programs with an energy transfusion.

Each has returned to his respective alma mater to lead the program for which he starred. And each brings to the table passion for and pride in the job only an alum possesses.

Carter, who played three years of varsity basketball as a point guard for the Royals from 1996-98, scored 1,097 high school points and was a two-time all-area selection. He spent the last six basketball seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he played his senior season and graduated with a degree in history in 2002. The city of Elgin was never far from his mind, however.

"Coming out of high school and getting into the college game, Larkin was one of the jobs that I considered a dream job," Carter said. "It's always unfortunate circumstances whenever a job comes open, but I had to take advantage of the opportunity and I jumped on it right away. I was fortunate enough to get it and I'm here now."

Porto, 24, was a three-sport athlete at Burlington Central and a darned good one. He was named the Daily Herald's Male Athlete of the Year in 2003 and went on to get his degree in education from Western Illinois University in 2008.

Like Carter, he dreamed of coaching at his former school at some point in his career.

"It feels great," Porto said of directing basketball practices at Burlington Central this week. "Once I decided I wanted to get into teaching and coaching I kind of fell in love with coaching basketball. Then to have the opportunity to come back and do it at Central... If someone would have told me that I would have thought that they were joking. I thought maybe one day I could end up back here, but it's nice that it came so quick and it's the first spot I'm at."

Watching Carter put the Royals through their paces during a practice this week one thing became clear: the players respond to him. His practice plan is crisp, the energy level remains high throughout and no player gives the new coach anything but his full effort. Clearly, the players have bought in to what their new coach is selling in hope of improving on last year's final record of 8-20.

"They are accepting coaching at every turn and their willingness to hear a coach out and see our side of things, really accept it and move that into a drill and execute it in five-on-five or live action has been much, much better than I thought it would be," Carter said. "They take pride in this place like I do and they don't like where the Larkin basketball name is right now. We're all working together to bring it back to its heyday when Larkin basketball and success were synonymous."

Carter has promised nothing to the players who played significant minutes last season, insisting they are all starting from the same, equal position. Effort and talent are being judged as he tries to determine the lineup. Carter admits such a philosophy might seem a bit unfair to those who put in their time last season, but he believes it is having a galvanizing effect on the entire roster.

"I think that's benefiting our team because guys who haven't played a lot in the past have really given a lot better effort than I think they normally would, knowing what their role was last year and that coming in with a new coach and a new philosophy that everything is up for grabs," Carter said. "There have been guys good one day and not so good the next, but harping as a coaching staff on the fact that everything is up for grabs is making sure everyone gives their top effort and commits to what we need to do as a team."

Likewise, the Rockets have taken to their new coach's relatable style.

"We communicate well together and I think they're excited because they're doing new offensive things and new defensive things," Porto said. "They're responding well. It was a good feeling going through the halls when I found out I got the job because some of the guys were more excited than I was. I have some credibility in that I'll listen and that they know I'm telling them something for a reason."

Porto has inherited a different situation than Carter. The Rockets return three starters from a team that finished 12-14, led by all-area forward Shane Larkin. With a break here or there, they could challenge defending Big Northern-East co-champions Hampshire and Richmond-Burton for the division title.

For now, Porto, who said he'd like to hold the Central job for "20 or 30 years," is simply appreciating his role as a mentor, following in the footsteps of his high school basketball coach, Mike Schmidt.

"To be in a position to be like a coach Schmidt, who really impacted my life, and to hopefully impact the lives of the kids that come through and play for me is an awesome opportunity, especially to be back at old CHS," he said.

With positive approaches like Carter's and Porto's, the area's new coaching blood should pump long enough for them to become known as the old guard.

jfitzpatrick@dailyherald.com