Of all the stories that have come out of the impending closing of Lincoln-Way North, one qualifies as a fairy tale with a happy ending.
It involves two gentlemen named Jim Martin and Jim Nair.
It began in 1997, when Martin came from Riverside-Brookfield and Nair from Momence to take teaching and girls basketball coaching positions at Lincoln-Way. Martin got the sophomore coaching job and Nair the freshman position.
They became not only coaching colleagues, but great friends.
In 2001, Martin left the Central campus to start the program at newly built Lincoln-Way East. Nair followed him and became his varsity assistant.
When it was announced that Lincoln-Way North was opening in 2008, Martin encouraged Nair to follow his dream to be a head coach. Nair did, and the two remained the best friends two rival coaches could possibly be.
Now, with North closing in June, Nair will be joining Martin’s staff at Lincoln-Way East. It’s 99 percent certain he’s going to be the sophomore coach. They are also going to coach boys golf together, with Nair the varsity coach and Martin coaching the lower level.
Martin will retire as a school counselor and coach in two years. The natural next step would be for Nair, a Spanish teacher, to take Martin’s place as the varsity girls basketball coach.
Seriously, how more fairy tale ending can you get than that?
Now, all the administrators in District 210 have to do is write the final page.
“Jim Nair is a tremendous basketball coach and a tremendous person and will be great for our school,” Lincoln-Way East athletic director Mark Vander Kooi said. “He’ll have two years to focus on being a great sophomore basketball coach, and we’ll see what happens.”
If Martin has his way, it’ll officially be a done deal sooner than later.
“My goal is for Jim (Nair) to take over for me,” Martin said. “Then I’d know that the program would be in good hands. I could not ask for anything more.”
Nair’s move back to East brings some interesting subplots.
He’ll be taking several of the players from potentially his best-ever team from North with him and turning them over to Martin. Nair’s daughter, Sam, is already at East as a junior on the varsity.
“I have a lot of mixed emotions,” Nair said. “My No. 1 goal was to follow my players (from North). I have four sophomores who are contributing quite a bit to the team. I think I can be a huge asset in the transition for these kids going over there.
“I’m disappointed (in the closing) because I think our program has come a long way. But I’m super excited to rejoin coach Martin. We’re good friends. It’s a very complicated ordeal, but I’m good with it.”
Like two peas in a pod? Not exactly. Their personalities are similar, but their coaching philosophies are different. Martin prefers an offense that attacks and Nair a pressure defensive lockdown.
Nair laughed when telling the story about their early coaching days at the original Lincoln-Way Central.
“We had some great times back then,” Nair said. “He had a pretty good offensive sophomore team when we first started and I had a pretty good defensive freshman team. I’d take my freshman team up and beat his sophomore team every day and we’d laugh about it.”
Martin got even and then some when his varsity Griffins won the first seven games between East and North. Nair has won three of the last four.
No matter who comes out on top, though, they and their wives always go out to dinner afterward.
“A game is just a game,” Martin said. “Friendships last forever.”
If they both have an off night, chances are good Martin and Nair can be found in the top row sitting together at one of the Southland’s best Class 4A matchups. They share notes. Ideas. Laughs.
It’s been one of the healthiest coaching rivalries in the Southland, resulting in two strong programs that the district can be proud of. Together again, they’ll make East even stronger.
If only the money spenders in District 210 had worked this well together.
Twitter: @tbaranek