Domecq Giving Riverside Basketball Fans a Lift
Domecq giving Riverside Basketball Fans a Lift
By Jim Kleinpeter, The Times Picayune, January 31, 1986
The Riverside gym has been a lot noisier this basketball season than it has in the past, because fans are getting more for their admission than a basketball game.
Spectators can leave the gym with anything from cash prizes to hair dryers, from a bucket of fried chicken to a bellyache resulting from a doughnut-eating contest, from a t-shirt to a George Washington costume.
It’s all part of the new Riverside image, one that includes basketball as one of its championship sports.
The football-crazy fans of the small Reserve private school are getting a taste of big-time promotions, courtesy of head coach Greg Domecq.
“I thought this was necessary at Riverside, “said Domecq, who was an assistant at basketball-crazy Newman for three years. “The support was there, but it had to be cultivated. They have made a commitment to basketball and we are going to build on that.”
“I expected a good reaction because the people out here are behind the kids and they show it in football.”
The fans are starting to show up in basketball too. Riverside has been averaging 275 in attendance per home game, and the smallest crowd was still above 200. In the past, attendance was more than 200 only twice – both times in state playoff games.
“Not only are we excited, but the whole league is,” said Riverside principal Barry Heltz. “The officials want to come here and call games. The fan support has been the best in history. The fans have really taken to Coach Domecq. They are behind him 100 percent.”
Those leaving the gym a little wealthier or with no worries about their next meal are especially grateful.
Consider
- Faculty Free Throw Night – $50 cash prize for most free throws
- Doughnut Eating Contest – $25 cash prize for eating six doughnuts the fastest
- Dive for the Dough – 200 $1 bills are spread on the floor. A lucky fan has 30 seconds to pick up as many as possible.
- Great Rebel Dinner Night – Dinners for two at several New Orleans and local restaurants.
- George Washington Costume Contest – Best costume of George wins a Savings Bonds.
These are some of the special prize nights. Riverside also has regular giveaways for all of the other games, including pizza, fried chicken, automobile services, dinners for two, college basketball tickets, soft drinks by the case, record albums, and hair dryers.
Of course, somewhere behind the giveaways, the pep band, and the flag girls is a basketball team. “The promotions help, but it’s the kids they come to see,” said Domecq. :If they can win a blow dryer on the side, well that’s nice too. I think the program has made good progress in this first year.”
Domecq expects a lot on and off the court. During the girls’ games, the male basketball players are required to sit together as if on display. They must be dressed in navy blue slacks, dress shoes, grey sweaters, and ties.”
At first, we thought he was crazy,” said player Herbie Roussel. “It bothered us at first, but now we feel it gives us some class.”
“We get complemented everyplace we go,”added teammate Paul Kreutzfeldt.
The Rebels haven’t set the world on fire with a 9-7 record, but Domecq has been pleased with the efforts.
“Except for one game this year, our trademark has been to play hard and never give up,” he said. “We don’t have the best or the tallest players, but they play with heart. The kids have come around as well as can be expected.”
The big problem with basketball at Riverside in the past has been football. Riverside has won seven LISA state titles since the school opened in 1972.
At a school with slightly more than 200 students that means a lot of basketball players are still playing football in mid-December.
“Eight of our eleven palyers played football,”said Domecq. “Four of our five starters played in the state championship game in Monroe. They got in at 3:30 Saturday morning and were at the gym at 2 that afternoon for practice.”
“We didn’t have our first practice until December 1 and we played our first game on December 3. I’m used to starting practice on September 8.”
Domecq plans to remedy the problem of lost time with work on fundamentals in the summer as well as a basketball camp to stir interest in the pre-high school players.
“The won-loss record may not be the best in the world, but we are going in the right direction,” said Heltz. “You don’t do it overnight. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be a basketball power in a couple of years.”
Friday will be a welcomed day in Reserve. The Rebels haven’t played a home game since December 13 and have had only four home games. The fans are hungry for more. It will be a regular give-away night, but Tuesday will be “Pack-the-Gym” night, Fans are being encouraged to show-up and sell out the gym for the first time in the school’s history. The class with the highest percentage in attendance will win a $100 cash prize.
About the Author
Greg Domecq is in his eighth year as the Associate Principal at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, Virginia. In May of 2009, Domecq was presented the Alton L. Taylor Award from the University of Virginia Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa naming him the outstanding administrator in the region. Domecq’s current responsibilities at Western include support for the English and Special Services Departments as well as the collaborative initiative, coordinating substitutes, the honor council, transportation, and 10th & 11th grade discipline. Over the years at WAHS, Dr. Domecq has also had oversight of the athletic department, Physical Education Department, textbooks, and teacher duty. On the county level, Domecq served on several committees including the School Business Alliance, the high school discipline steering committee, the behavior management committee, the International Baccalaureate Exploratory team, and the Teacher Performance Appraisal Steering Committee. He is credited with writing the TPA Process Manual, a user-friendly handbook that outlines the implementation of the Teacher Performance Appraisal model.
During Domecq’s tenure at the Crozet school, the Warriors have been recognized for several outstanding accomplishments. A few of these accolades are as follows:
- WAHS was identified in January of 2008 as one of only ten high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia for the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence.
- Western consistently earned SAT scores more than one hundred points over the Virginia and National averages. These scores catapulted the school to a national ranking of 401 by Newsweek magazine in 2006.
- The Warrior Athletic Department earned the prestigious Wachovia Cup for the first time in 2004 recognizing WAHS as the best all-around AA program in the state. Western captured the award again in 2005 becoming only the third school in history to earn back-to-back titles. The Warriors returned to the top-of-the-list for the third time after the 2008 school year.
In 2004 Domecq earned his doctorate in Administration and Supervision from the Curry School at the University of Virginia. His minor areas included Curriculum and Instruction as well as Social Foundations in Education. His dissertation topic, “A Ninth Grade Transition Program, ” studied the results of the Summer Leadership Academy at Monticello High School. Domecq has given numerous presentations in the Charlottesville area including visits to the University of Virginia, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Mary Baldwin College, State Farm Insurance, and the Waynesboro Kiwanis Club.
Paul Newman — “The Dressing Room”
