Lehi basketball: 2011-12 season recap

In early April, I interviewed Lehi (Utah) boys basketball coach Craig Gladwell, who announced his retirement at the end of the season. This is the season recap article that will appear in the Lehi basketball yearbook.

Lehi relishes the message of the Gladwell era

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

In the years to come, Lehi’s 11-10 overall record in the 2011-12 season may not be viewed as a success because the Pioneers didn’t make the 5A state tournament.

But coach Craig Gladwell, and several players, didn’t see it that way.

When the Pioneers dropped their last game of the season at Riverton – where a win would have got them into the tournament – there was sadness and even a few tears.

But it wasn’t so much due to the loss.

It was Gladwell’s last game. He had revealed his decision to his players earlier, and they recognized what it meant. After an amazing 42 seasons affecting thousands of athletes in Idaho and Utah, the 65 year-old coach ended his career and nobody was letting a loss change that.

“I still felt like I went out on top, even if we didn’t make it to the tournament,” said Gladwell. “It was a good group of seniors. We didn’t have much size, but the kids fought hard. We played in a very tough region, and it was a big adjustment.”

The year prior, Lehi was a 4A school and rode the talents of Colton Colledge to the semifinals at the state tournament. Colledge returned and had a great senior season. He averaging 16.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds and made the all-state team, but the parameters were different.

The Pioneers were moved up to 5A – due to their increased enrollment – and placed in the state’s most difficult region. Lone Peak and American Fork tied for first place and had elite teams. In fact, Gladwell and a few other coaches noted that Bingham, Riverton and Lehi probably could have challenged for the region crown in any of the other 5A regions.

“We were 8-3 in the preseason,” Gladwell recalled. “We knew our region would be tough. I felt our aggressive wasn’t as strong as we went through the region. We had to play at our best every game to have a chance.”

Lehi played particularly well at home, compiling a 7-4 record in front of their raucous fans. One night even featured an appearance by the “Bear,” the entertaining mascot of the Utah Jazz. Later, the fans were disappointed at a 53-52 loss to rival Westlake, but the Pioneers came back to give American Fork one of its toughest games of the season before losing 62-58.

Gladwell said the team played one of its best games of the season when it rode the scoring of Colledge, Blake Cleveringa and Ryan Christofferson in a 69-44 victory over Riverton.

The home season ended with another impressive victory – 76-51 against Pleasant Grove.

“We had the most fun that night,” Gladwell noted. “It was a full house and the atmosphere was crazy. It was my last home game and my wife made the announcement (of his impending retirement).

“The kids celebrated like we had won the state championship.”

Big crowds were common at Lehi, and it was that way during many of Gladwell’s 10 years here. At first, the Pioneers were a 3A school and challenged for the state title. Since that time, Lehi has moved several times to different classifications and Gladwell noted that it took time to establish an identity.

With the area’s growth, and another new high school already being planned, that dilemma will be placed in another coach’s hand – Bob Barnes – who had been Gladwell’s assistant.

Lehi will lose five seniors, including Colledge, but its basketball tradition should live on with what Gladwell accomplished.

“Our strength was always our team unity,” he said. “Other teams would often double-team him (Colledge) a lot, but we would try not to rely on him too much.”