Page 60 December 2 014 ARCADIA SPORTS Basketball coach at Arcadia becomes favorite among all By Nicholas Smith While running out to grab lunch, Stephen Danford laughed when he thought about the journey he took to get where he is today. He didn’t exactly take the conventional route to becoming a high school basketball coach. “I’ve always been involved in basketball in some way or another,” said Danford. “But it wasn’t exactly a normal path to get here.” Danford, 49, is entering his third year as the head coach for the Arcadia High School basketball team. He began playing the sport as a child because he loved the pace, and because it was the only sport with which he didn’t seem to have a problem. “Baseball was way too slow for me,” he said. “And with football I just didn’t want to be hit. So basketball ended up being a fit.” He attended college at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. At the school he played under Rick Adelman, who would go on to be a head coach for two NBA finalists. After transferring to and graduating from Linfield College, Danford went pro – as a banker. “I went into banking because I got offered a job by someone I knew,” said Danford. “I was able to make pretty good money and provide for my family. But I always stayed involved in basketball.” Danford went into coaching during his spare time, leading YMCA and recreational league teams, as well as becoming an assistant coach for Arcadia from 2007- 2010. Basketball seemed to be an itch he couldn’t scratch, and it may have been a genetic itch at that. “I have uncles that have coached, [and] other family members,” he said. “It really was a family thing. My parents used to tease me and ask when I was going to do what I was meant to do and start teaching and coaching full time?” After going back to school and graduating from Grand Canyon University, he returned to Arcadia as a student teacher in the fall of 2011. One year later, he was named the head coach of the basketball team. Although he states that he wants to win a state championship, Danford has far loftier goals for his players. “It’s much more important to me that a kid graduates from high school than plays basketball at the next level,” he said. “Getting good grades and being a contributor in the community has always been what I want the most from my players.” Danford holds his players to a higher GPA accountability than the district does and insists that his players meet for on- campus tutoring at least two to three times a week. “Coach always stays on top of me because of my grades,” said Patrick Stafford, senior point guard. “He’s always in constant communication with our teachers and it helps. I’d like to play basketball in college now.” Patrick’s mother, Heather, praised Danford as someone who fits into the community and makes it better. She also says he’s the most approachable coach she has ever encountered as a parent. “You can completely see that he cares about the players, whether they’re a star or the man on the bench,” she said. “He wants to have a relationship with his players’ families too. Maybe him being a teacher himself is what makes him so good at what he does.” Danford is a special education teacher at Arcadia. His major in college dealt with therapeutic care for the mentally ill, and he says that he wouldn’t want to be teaching in any other classroom. “Seeing the light bulb turn on, a kid being able to do a math problem, live on his or her own, or even feed themselves,” he said. “It’s wonderful to be a part of that because they’ll never forget you helping them to get there and you’ll never forget it either. 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