NFHS names Yerkovich Western Coach of the Year

Intermountain Catholic

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James Yerkovich is awarded the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) 2006 West Sectional Coach of the Year. IC photo by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) named James Yerkovich the 2006 West Sectional Coach of the Year in January. The West section includes the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.

Yerkovich is Judge Memorial Catholic High School’s vice principal and head basketball coach. He has been the coach of the varsity basketball team for the past 41 years. The NFHS said Yerkovich’s contributions to high school athletics are truly deserving of this recognition.

Yerkovich said his 2006-2007 basketball team took third in the 2006 State Championship tournament. They had 22 wins and three losses, and the best record of any Class 3A team in the state. This year’s record combined with last year’s 3A State Championship team record of 24 wins and one loss gives Yerkovich a two-year record of 46 wins and only four losses.

"I probably received this award as much for our ‘WE’ philosophy as I did for our success on the court," said Yerkovich. "Using sports to teach values is not a real common concept, and it is not talked about that much. The press usually talks about the scoreboards and who won and who lost.

In 2003, Yerkovich co-wrote the book "WE," a Model for Coaching and Christian Living," with Jesuit Father Patrick Kelly. It was published by the National Catholic Educational Association. The book defies the scoreboard mentality in sports and focuses on the opportunity to teach the value of Christian teamwork and companionship on the courts and in the classroom.

"From the time I started coaching at age 23, I have always given a talk at the beginning of each season by saying team play is the essence of team success," said Yerkovich, a 1961 graduate of Judge Memorial.

"The ‘WE’ philosophy is a powerful concept," said Yerkovich. "I have spoken at a lot of conferences and given a lot of presentations, and people love the simplicity and the power of the word we. You can take any human value or virtue and frame it around the word we because they are all about we. Ultimately we is love."

Yerkovich addressed the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) meeting in 1993 in New Orleans and in 1996 in Philadelphia, on his "WE" philosophy as an educational base for athletics. In 1996 and 1997, he also worked with the Hillenbrand Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, in Illinois on conferences in "Spirituality and Sports," and "Coaching as a Calling." In 1998, Yerkovich gave the keynote address at Hillenbrand for the symposium, "Sports, Coaching, and Gospel Values."

"The ‘WE’ philosophy is a gift from heaven," said Yerkovich. "Prior to the concept, I was always looking for something to make my initial talk to the teams more effective. Then in 1978, I thought about the word we on a Wednesday, and by Saturday’s game, I had framed everything around it. I had a ‘WE’ T-shirt® made and the concept was born. The talk was outlined with ‘WE’ as a way to play and live, and there as been ‘WE’ talk ever since. From then on the word WE has been printed on everything we wear including our shirts and uniforms. ‘WE’ has been the catalyst to push us to whatever excellence we have been able to achieve, not only on the court but also in our everyday relationships off the court."

Adam Acosta, a 2000 Judge Memorial graduate, attributes his success as a fullback on the major league Real Salt Lake (RSL) soccer team, to the values he learned from Yerkovich. Acosta said the discipline he learned at Judge Memorial from Yerkovich, which required him to obtain good grades in order to play sports, paid off for him in college. Acosta received an academic scholarship to the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. Acosta said Yerkovich taught him how to become a responsible adult and a team player in all his relationships.

"I receive hundreds of letters and e-mails from former players and other people who tell me the ‘WE’ philosophy was a real lesson in who you become," said Yerkovich. "I have had players who did not play that much on my teams, but still they say learning the ‘WE’ philosophy was the best part of their experience as a team member.

"The why of coaching is the most important concept the team can learn," said Yerkovich. "We should not coach for the scoreboard because there is no better classroom to teach Christian values than on the basketball court."

Under Yerkovich’s leadership Judge has participated in 34 state tournaments, won two state championships in 1980 and 2005, been invited 11 times to participate in the prestigious Alhambra National Catholic Invitational Tournament (ACIT) in Cumberland, Md., and won the Consolation Championship three times.