NIC coaches, Noon Basketball Association play for good cause

North Idaho College coaches dropped their clipboards and took to the basketball court to take on the Noon Basketball Association (NBA) for charity Nov. 29 at Rolly Williams Court.

People who attended the game were encouraged to donate at least one food item to the Staff Assembly Food Drive to benefit St. ASNIC.

“The biggest thing is they put this on to make sure we remember the people who are less fortunate,” said NIC men’s assistant basketball coach Corey Symons, who played on the NIC coaches’ team. “That’s what the whole thing was about.”

Adam Mortensen, a member of the NBA and facilities technician at NIC, put on the event in order to help out with the food drive.

The NBA is comprised mostly of NIC faculty who play basketball together two or three times a week.

Some of the members of the coaches team included NIC athletic director Al Williams, head volleyball coach Kandice Gregorak and head women’s basketball coach Chris Carlson.

The NBA defeated the NIC coaches 53-43.

The coaches got off to a 10-0 start but the NBA crept back into the game cutting the lead to 30-22 at halftime, although the scoreboard operator took four points off the coaches’ score to make it 26-22 for unknown reasons. It was an exhibition game and not all basketball and scoring rules were followed.

Williams, who served as a player-coach in the game, wanted to score early and often before his team ran out of gas.

“We wanted to get up by a lot and hold on until the oxygen tanks got here,” Williams joked. “Unfortunately we got up by a lot, but somehow we lost points at halftime. The strategy worked but the scoreboard didn’t.”

Despite the setback, Symons opened up the second half scoring with a three-pointer.

After the NBA regained the lead, Williams made the score 36-34 in favor of the coaches after converting an old-fashioned three-point play.

The NBA got into rhythm after that, ending the game on a 19-7 run.