AC interim coach gets win
The basketball coach leading the Augusta Christian School Lions sports a goatee. He also dresses sportily, and he has a proven track-record in the Georgia High School Association.
Those descriptions fit Mike Gold, the former AC head basketball coach and athletic director who resigned those duties earlier this month.
But the description also applies to Andrew Bryan, the 25-year-old who has taken over for Gold.
Bryan made his coaching debut last week in the Augusta Christian Schools Christmas Classic, and the results looked familiar - the Lions battered Briarwood Academy 89-17 in Thursday night action at the Lions' Den.
The rout was on from the opening tipoff. AC was up 8-0 before 30 seconds had ticked off the clock, and when the final buzzer sounded, every Lion had scored. Jordan Belcher led the way with 20 points, Scott Bodden had 14 and Mark Herrmann chipped in 13.
"When you start out the first quarter 28-3, that's hard work and defense," Bryan said after picking up his first win as AC's interim head coach.
"My goal for this game was really to taste how I want them to play for the rest of the season. We may not get that kind of lead every game, but I want to see that kind of pressure defense."
Winning is nothing new for Bryan - he played prep basketball at Curtis Baptist School, where he was a three-time all-state selection in the Georgia Independent Schools Association. He earned a Class AAA title with the Crusaders in 1994 and was named GISA Player of the Year that season.
After breaking nearly every basketball record at Curtis, including most points in a game (51), Bryan played collegiately at Maryville College in Maryville, Tenn. He later transferred to Union University in Tennessee and graduated with a degree in Christian Ethics and Communications.
Ironically, a breach of Christian ethics might have paved the way for Bryan, as Gold resigned under controversial circumstances.
"Certainly, no one likes the circumstances that have created this opportunity for him," Andrew's father, Dr. John Bryan, said after the game Thursday.
"My perspective is that he's in the right spot at the right time and he'll do the right job," Dr. Bryan said. "He's been around the game all of his life; he loves it, he's played it and has coached it, so he's not a novice. It's a huge challenge, but he's equal to the task, not just because of his talent, but because of the grace that God gives him to be able to adapt to any situation."
Still, Andrew Bryan's experience while playing point guard was a different kind of pressure than what he now faces - Gold won two state titles with AC and had led the Lions to the top of Region 4-AAA for the past five years.
Gold wasn't just successful, though. He also was loved by his players and by Lions' fans. His abrupt departure broke some hearts.
Bryan's job is to pick up the pieces.
"I've been working with the players since last summer, and we became pretty close pretty quick. I respect them a lot and I think they respect me," Bryan said. "Coach Gold, when he talked to us (after announcing his resignation), talked about the need to remain focused. I think the team and the other coaches took that to heart. We've just looked to strive forward."
Bryan came to AC as Gold's assistant this year. He did not want to speculate on his future status, namely whether his interim title will be changed to "head coach."
He'd rather focus on the task at hand, which is making the most of his unexpected opportunity.
"The situation is certainly different than most, but I think my confidence level is such where I can step in, get it working and keep it going," he said. "Our goals remain the same, in that we want to be playing March 2 in the state championship game."