Former teammates now coaching rivals
Adrienne Orris and T.L. Thompson both figured they would be high school basketball coaches some day.
After all, they grew up with the sport in their blood.
Their fathers were basketball coaches. They lived and breathed the sport. They were virtually groomed to roam a sideline.
But neither one thought they would be coaches at rival schools.
Yet here they are, Orris in her first year guiding the Slippery Rock HighSchool girls program and Thompson at the helm of the Grove City High girls team.
"It's pretty neat," Thompson said. "I pretty much knew the two of us would end up as coaches, but the possibility of us ended up so close to each other didn't cross my mind."
It's pretty strange days for Orris and Thompson, rivals in high school, friends and teammates in college and now rivals again.
Orris was a guard at UnionCity HighSchool. Thompson was a guard at nearby Girard. They played against each other in high school and in summer leagues.
They often ran into one another in Hershey as their fathers took them there to watch the state finals each year.
Both decided to attend Grove City College and were teammates with the Wolverines for four seasons. They graduated in 2002.
That's when their friendship blossomed.
"We roomed right next to each other," Thompson said. "We were friends in high school, but we really weren't that close. But we lived right next to each other (in college) and were teammates. That's probably when we became really close."
Orris went to Virginia to coach. Thompson went to Franklin, where she still lives.
They kept in touch, but didn't realize their paths would cross so soon in their young careers.
Both are 26 and both have a lot in common, which strengthened their bond, Orris said.
"T.L. and I grew up in the gym," she said. "So we understand each other's background more than most people out there. We ended up our freshmen year side by side each other and we have been that close ever Maybe too close.
The two talk almost every night, exchanging notes about what transpired in practice that day.
They hand out helpful coaching hints to each other. Thompson sometimes stays with Orris instead of driving back to Franklin.When they got together over Thanksgiving weekend with mutual friends and former teammates Cara Denniston and Erica Youngman, the topic of sharing too much information came up."We're just trying to help each other out," Thompson said. "We talk on the phone and toss ideas out to one another."But Cara and Erica wondered if we were helping each other out too much, that we might regret it when we play each other because we are both so competitive."While both agree it is going to be strange the first time Slippery Rock and Grove City square off, the duo can handle it just fine."T.L. and I are great friends on and off the court," Orris said. "We are more than overjoyed that we are so close together once again. We have known each other for a very long time. That is a friendship that she and I know will be there for a very long time."Their coaching situations couldn't be more different.Orris is replacing Gene Rodgers, whose contract was not renewed despite going 21-7 and leading the Rockets to the state playoffs. It was a controversial move and one Orris steered clear of."I got that advice from several people," Orris said. "And I'm very glad I took it."Expectations are very high in Slippery Rock with two-time Butler Eagle Girls Basketball Player of the Year Jence Rhoads returning.Thompson took over for coaching legend Roger Flynn, who won 531 games in his 27 years at Grove City.But expectations aren't nearly as high for Grove City with a very young and inexperienced team and arguable its best returning player, Jenna Kelly, sidelined until at least January."Adrienne is so lucky to have a player like Jence," Thompson said."It's going to be hard when we play each other. But I think it will be fun."
