Gary Robinson

Bryce Alderton

It is only his first year, but Gary Robinson has already become

hooked on coaching.

The 22-year-old former three-year varsity guard for Larry Hirst’s

Newport Harbor High boys basketball team has led the school’s

freshman team to a 6-3 record this winter in his first coaching job

and looks forward to coming to work every day.

“The kids are a close-knit group and they work hard in practice,”

said Robinson, who graduated from Loyola Marymount University in May

with a degree in humanities. “One of the hardest things for a high

school coach is getting teenagers to work hard. Somehow they work

hard for me, but it’s probably because they know if they don’t, I

will take them out.”

While in college, Robinson stayed in touch with his father,

Joseph, who announces Harbor’s home games, about the happenings with

the Sailors.

Gary Robinson, who led the Sailors in his senior year (1998-99)

with 41 three-pointers, inquired about a position with Hirst last

spring and was coaching the freshman by the end of the summer

session.

Bryan Cottriel, last year’s junior varsity coach, moved up to be

Hirst’s assistant this season, allowing Bob Torribio -- a former

Newport player and the program’s freshman coach last winter -- to

take control of the junior varsity squad.

That left the freshman job open and Gary Robinson eagerly took the

reins.

“I love working with kids and sports is a passion,” Gary Robinson

said. “I told myself it would be dumb not to do something I am

passionate about.”

Peter Helfrich, a longtime family friend, was a mentor to Robinson

at Newport.

Before he took the job, Robinson, a Newport Beach resident, joked

with Helfrich about possibly becoming the freshman coach. The

possibility became reality and Robinson is beginning to return the

favor.

Helfrich’s son, Matthew, is Robinson’s starting point guard.

Robinson gets to work in the same gym where the Sailors upset

Santa Margarita, 50-47, in February 1998 when the Eagles were ranked

No. 1 in Orange County and eventually won a CIF state title. Santa

Margarita had defeated Newport by 40 in the team’s prior meeting that

season and led the Sailors by nine with five minutes to play that

night at Newport.

But the Sailors would not be denied as Robinson hit two

three-pointers and knocked down two free throws in the fourth

quarter. He finished with nine points.

“The gym was rocking,” Robinson said.

The responsibility of being in charge of a team -- Newport’s

freshman squad consists of 17 players -- is a challenge Robinson

looks forward to.

“All of the kids are looking to me as their leader, so it is real

exciting,” Robinson said. “I’ve tried to downplay it since day one,

but I had a feeling we would be pretty good and we’ve done well.”

But with any profession, challenges also lie ahead.

“There are still a lot of areas to improve on ... taking each game

as its own game, knowing the opponent better and figuring out the

different combinations of players to use to play to [the team’s]

strengths versus the opponent’s weaknesses,” Robinson said.

The Sailors finished third in the Estancia tournament and fifth in

the Santa Ana tournament.

Robinson would ideally like to coach and teach. He is using this

season as a trial run.

“I have a bigger passion for coaching,” Robinson said. “If I can

pursue a profession like teaching that could combine with coaching, I

will look toward getting my credential.”

In the meantime, Robinson will focus on the next practice or game.

“I’m real excited,” he said. “I don’t want the season to end.”