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New coach looking for 'gym rats' at South Iredell
Regan Hill photo
South Iredell alum David Rutledge (left) returned to coach the Vikings’ boys basketball team this season. Rutledge spent last season at Newton-Conover, where he led the Red Devils to a 17-10 record.
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Published: November 20, 2008
Barium Springs - There's a poster in the coaches office at South Iredell that holds special significance for members of the Vikings boys basketball team.
It hangs behind first-year coach David Rutledge's desk and broadcasts to all who enter the number of hours each player has spent in the gym during the offseason.
It's a "gym rats" program, one designed to both encourage players to get in the gym and compete with each other to have the most hours.
"The gym rats, that's what we're going for," Rutledge said. "I don't know who said it, but it's not about the Xs and the Os, it's about the Jimmys and the Joes. In this county, I am not the best tactician. I'm not going to out X-and-O you. My goal is to put better players on the floor than I got."
That starts during the dead period, when teams cannot have official practices but may hold voluntary workouts and shootarounds.
That period began in September and helped establish relationships and unity. It was especially important because Rutledge was a late hire after former coach Brian Reese accepted a position at Wingate over the summer.
"I've been here every day since September — all of us have, really," swingman D.J. Duncan said. "We have that board in the coaches office that keeps up with all your hours, and that's really motivated us. Coach Rutledge just tries to make you work hard, and that's what we've been doing."
Rutledge is South Iredell's third boys basketball coach in three years, but it's not as if the Vikings are starting over.
A 1999 South Iredell graduate, Rutledge was the Vikings' freshman coach just two seasons ago and still holds ties to several players on the current roster.
"A lot of these kids, I was here for their freshman year," Rutledge said. "So when I first got here, they were ready to work, they were hungry. They know what I'm about."
Most also know of the success he had at Newton-Conover last season. Rutledge took a young squad and led them to a 17-10 record and a trip to the second round of the 2A playoffs.
"As of this time last year, we had already played 28 games or so at Newton," Rutledge said. "We played in the summer, and we go to about three or four camps. The things we're doing now are first-week-of-summer issues, but we're just going to work through them."
Rutledge has a young team this year, too. The bulk of his squad is juniors, with a few sophomores mixed in. One of the biggest challenges is balancing the desire to build for the future while still winning in the present.
"That's a tough one," Rutledge said. "I tell my two seniors, 'We're going to win for you guys this year. I'm not going to sacrifice anything.' We're going to bust our tails, and you'll definitely see improvements throughout the season."
Returning players hope those improvements begin to manifest at the peak of conference season.
East Lincoln and Cherryville will again be tough outs in the Southern Piedmont 1A-2A, but the rest of the conference is up in the air.
"We want to be really competitive in conference," A.J. Barringer said. "So far, Coach has done a real good job of getting all the negative energy out. It's been real positive.
"I think we're going to shock some people."
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