Caroline Charles sat quietly on a table in the John Carroll University gymnasium, observing her Youngbloods basketball team prepare for the Cleveland Cavaliers Continental Cup International Tournament. But it quickly became evident she frowns on a team that stands around. "What's going on?" shouts Charles, a former point guard on one of England's National League women's basketball teams. "Get...
Caroline Charles sat quietly on a table in the John Carroll University gymnasium, observing her Youngbloods basketball team prepare for the Cleveland Cavaliers Continental Cup International Tournament.
But it quickly became evident she frowns on a team that stands around.
"What's going on?" shouts Charles, a former point guard on one of England's National League women's basketball teams. "Get back in your groups and run the offense, or we'll be here all night."
The 18U boys basketball players from the United Kingdom obviously got the message because they sprinted onto the hardwood and ran the play to near perfection.
Did these players react that way out of fear or respect?
"It's both," said Mantas Adomaitis, a 16-year-old post player whose 6-7 frame is planted in size-14 shoes. "Coach is strict, and she keeps us under control with rules and discipline."
Speak out of turn or talk back and you'll pay the price by executing push-ups or sit-ups, 20 at a time.
Continue to interrupt Charles and you'll walk the dreaded plank. It's a tasking exercise where an individual rests on his forearms, in a push-up position, for a designated amount of time.
"When I say 'Take the position,' they know what I mean," said Charles, 48. "They could be in [the push-up] position four, five, six minutes. It depends on when I get done talking or what mood I'm in."
Charles hasn't strayed from this method of discipline for 20 years because it's worked. She enjoys the challenge of taking a group of boys and molding them until they're too old to play, such as the Youngbloods, who have been together three years.
"We're actually a 16U team, but because of the way some of the players' birthdays fall, we're playing up a division," said Charles, a physical-education/English teacher/basketball coach at a public, all-girls parochial school in London.
Charles attributes her no-nonsense approach to a four-year stint in the Army and the fact she's a woman coaching boys.
"It's made me thick-skinned because there's only about three females coaching boys teams in London and about 10 women coaching boys in the entire UK," said Charles, who made the trip without any assistant coaches or parents. "The males have an attitude toward female coaches in the UK, especially the male referees.
"[Male coaches] get away with a lot more during games than we do. They're thinking 'What are you doing here? You should be at home.' "
Charles' exterior has a rough-edged texture, but the players have seen her soft side and it's the main reason they keep coming back.
"She's really cool," said 15-year-old Anthony Sison, a 5-11 point guard. "She knows the game very well and she's understanding, compassionate."
Charles boasted she's never permanently dismissed a player from her team. Even though some players have been asked to leave practice sessions, they're always welcome back the following day.
"That player might have a bad time at home that morning and carry the 'stink' into practice," she said. "I realize everyone has bad days."
Charles is also an equal opportunity enforcer and proved it by benching 12-year-old son, Cleve, for missing breakfast prior to the Youngbloods' opening-game loss. He was restricted to sitting in the stands and watching the game in street clothes.
"I just want this to be a rewarding life experience for all 12 of the players," she said.
Like Sison, who admitted being scared of flying for the first time.
"Once we got up there, the view -- being between the clouds -- was like we were standing with the angels," said Sison, referring to the flight to the U.S.
Jet lag was an early problem because of the five-hour time difference as Adomaitis found out the first night while staying in JCU's Murphy Hall.
Adomaitis woke up at 3 a.m., got his teammates up to run laps because he thought it was 6 in the morning.
"We thought he was crazy," said 16-year-old guard Chris Anglin. "When he got up three hours later, we went on the track and ran with him because it's all about team."
Obviously, they continue to get the message.