On the verge of a milestone, Paul just keeps coaching
A Thursday night in January with the wind chill pointing toward 30 below. That sounds like a perfect night to huddle on the living room couch, watch some TV and pray for no school in the morning.
Not so for Peter Paul.
On the coldest night of the young year, Benet's girls basketball coach makes the one-hour drive north to Mundelein. Scouting night in the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
Paul gets in around 10 p.m., and flips on a Bulls game.
At age 62 basketball still runs hot and fast in the blood.
Tonight could be a special night for Paul. A win over Nazareth would be the 500th of a 24-year career as varsity coach at Benet. His thoughts on the milestone, typical of the gentlemanly coach, is very understated and modest.
"I keep thinking if you hang around long enough," Paul said, "good things will come."
Paul has been a fixture at Benet. A teacher in German, history and Spanish for 40 years, he first helped out with the boys freshman "B" team, then moved over to help former girls basketball coach Dan Nagis for five years before assuming the head coaching position in 1985. From there followed 13 regional championships and four sectional titles, the pinnacle a 29-5 season in 1997-98 that ended with a trip to the Class AA state quarterfinals.
Paul was always taught by the Dominicans that he had a calling. Perhaps it wasn't always as a coach. A three-sport athlete in high school, Paul joined Divine Word Seminary in East Troy, Wis., in aspirations to be a priest. That ended after two months, but for a time he thought of being a missionary.
Finally, Paul found his home at Benet as teacher, and later coach.
"Benet was my first job," he said. "I loved it the first day and I still do."
Watch Paul on the bench, and you see teacher and maybe even the mild-mannered would-be minister. He definitely does not hail from the Bobby Knight school of coaching by intimidation.
"A quieter coach," as he puts it.
He chalks that up to getting work done in practice, and credits the help of assistants like Joe Kilbride and Krista Bonebrake, the latter Paul's first 1,000-point scorer at Benet.
That said, Paul is old-school in not owning a cell phone to take on those long scouting trips.
"He's a dinosaur," Paul's wife, Laurie, joked to me.
"She told me to take the newer car," Paul said.
Paul said he isn't certain how long he plans to continue coaching. He chooses to take things year by year. Laurie doesn't go to many games but knows that basketball will always be her husband's passion.
When he does retire, that 500th win will be something to savor.
"I'll appreciate it more once I stop," Paul said. "Right now it's just a number and I'm happy to reach it."
jwelge@dailyherald.com