Boys Coach of the Year: Heritage Basketball Taking Shape Under Olsen

 STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Tom Olsen of Rogers Heritage is the All-NWA Media Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.
STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Tom Olsen of Rogers Heritage is the All-NWA Media Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

ROGERS -- Tom Olsen compared starting the Rogers Heritage boys basketball program to building a house. Attention to even the most minor detail is important when starting from scratch.

Olsen's War Eagles enjoyed a season full of firsts for the program, culminating in a state tournament berth.

All-NWA Media Boys Coach of the Year

Tom Olsen

School: Rogers Heritage

Notable: In his sixth season as the only head boys basketball coach in school history at Rogers Heritage. … Graduated from Rogers High School. … Played basketball for one season at Missouri Southern, then transferred and played three years at Wisconsin-La Crosse. … Began coaching career as graduate assistant for Marty Barnes at Arkansas Tech in 1992. … Served two years as full-time assistant coach at Arkansas Tech and as an assistant coach for eight years at Rogers (four for Terry Gracy and four for Barnes). … Also served as head basketball coach at Shirley for three years.

He has been honored as the All-NWA Media Boys Basketball Coach of the Year for Class 6A and 7A schools.

"We took a big step forward this year, no doubt," said Olsen, who has been at the helm since Heritage opened six years ago.

"Not to the top obviously, but it was a big step."

It was the first winning season in Heritage boys basketball history, finishing 16-12, and good enough or the first state tournament berth in school history. But the firsts don't stop there.

The War Eagles also won their first tournament title when they defeated Springfield (Mo.) Central to win the Carthage Invitational in December. Heritage's six 7A/6A-West Conference wins this season equaled the combined total for first five seasons. The War Eagles also notched their first-ever win over Fayetteville this season.

Olsen credited his players, particularly the seniors, for buying into the ideas he put forward and trusting what they learned to carry them through, even in difficult times.

Heritage enjoyed some early success last year, going 9-3 before Christmas. But the War Eagles failed to win a conference game and finished 9-17.

The team again started strong this season, but faltered at the start of league play by losing their first four. That's when the team leaders stepped forward, Olsen said.

"We were fortunate this year that we had some success and the kids believed in that," Olsen said. "When things got tight in the conference we could have went back to the old way of life around Heritage. They held on to the stuff they knew that was successful. The kids buying into that was the critical element there."

Heritage followed that four-game skid with a four-game winning streak to get back into the thick of the race for the state tournament. It looked as though the War Eagles might make it five. But Springdale High, which went on to finish as state runner-up, rallied in the final minute for the victory.

Springdale coach Brad Stamps, Olsen's friend and AAU basketball teammate in high school, stopped almost every Heritage player following the game to encourage them not to allow the loss to derail them.

"I just wanted to make sure they knew how much respect I had for them," Stamps said. "They had a lot of season left and a lot to play for. They didn't let that loss derail them."

The Heritage team mirrored their coach, Stamps said.

"They were a reflection of him," Stamps said. "I told his son, Crist, I just love his will to win. That's the same way Ton was. He had that same tenacity."

Olsen credits former Rogers coach Marty Barnes with his development as a coach. He coached under Barnes at Arkansas Tech as a graduate assistant, and then full-time assistant from 1992-97. He coached under Barnes again at Rogers for four more years, prior to Heritage opening.

"Obviously the impact of Coach Barnes on me has been tremendous," Olsen said. "He was good enough to give me a little responsibility at Tech and that turned into a full-time position. That was a great start for me to say the least."

Barnes, who is now retired from coaching, watched Olsen's team play a few times this season and the one thing he noted was Olsen got the most out of his team.

"A big thing with a new program, especially is having to teach the kids how to win and how to focus," Barnes said. "That mental toughness that we're not going to let that happen again. That has to do with Tom. The kids believed in it and bought in.

"Another good thing is the guys coming back can feed off this and have something positive going forward."

Sports on 03/30/2014

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