Youthful exuberance

Published 11:50 pm Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Ryan Dyer is fewer than 10 years removed from being a Northwest Whitfield High graduate, but has already begun guiding his first squad as the head coach for the boys basketball team at North Paulding High.

While other coaches might have brought more experience, Dyer said being young has some advantages.

“I think it’s a positive,” Dyer said. “I think I can relate to the kids real well. Being too young is good. It’s a program that needs a lot of direction.”

Having just finished their third varsity season after the Dallas school opened in 2007, the Wolfpack set a school record for wins this year — with a 5-20 mark — while competing in Region 5-4A. North Paulding athletic director Greg Cherry said the school’s status as a relatively new institution could benefit from having a younger coach.

“Actually looking back at it,” Cherry said, “with all the qualities he brought, and with our being a fairly new school in just our fifth year of existence, we needed a fresh start. Getting someone who was young and energetic is what we need. His youth can be good for the program. There are times that can hurt you, but his positive attitude should be a good thing.”

In order to create a successful program, Dyer said he will turn to the fundamentals, some of which he learned as a player for Jay Williams as a Bruin and at Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo. He also helped instruct as an assistant at Reinhardt University in Waleska and at Kennesaw Mountain High.

“The focus is definitely going to be on defense,” Dyer said. “We’re going to model our game after Michigan State, with a lot of man-to-man and pressure. We’re going to run a read-and-react offense. We’ll be disciplined and play real hard.”

Williams, who coached Dyer on the court for the Bruins, said he keeps in touch with Dyer and has watched him with a sense of pride.

“There are two big things about Ryan,” said Williams, who is currently the interim athletic director at Northwest.

“One is he’s a fine young man. Secondly, he works as hard as any player I’ve ever had. He’s an extremely hard worker. He was a great kid and he’s grown into a fine young man with a wife and a baby. We’re all proud of him personally and professionally.”

Having served as an assistant at Kennesaw Mountain for four years, Dyer said he is excited about his new opportunity and grateful for his experience in Kennesaw.

“It’s been different,” Dyer said. “I’m leaving a lot of good people behind, but North Paulding is going to be a good change.”

One person he will not leave behind is his brother, Kip, who has been an assistant with the Mustangs for two seasons and will join him in Dallas. Kip graduated from Northwest in 2006 and played at Reinhardt.

“Being young, it is going to be tough,” Dyer said. “Having (Kip) is going to be huge. He’s a blue-collar guy.”

Dyer said building a family is important to him at home — he and his wife Candice, who was a classmate at Northwest, have an 11-month old daughter, Braylen — and on the court.

“My wife gets it,” Dyer said. “She’s unbelievable. She’s a true coach’s wife. She always has the team over. We really want to set up a family atmosphere because the team is an extension of your family.”