Baltimore's return to coaching

He wanted a break from basketball. Actually, wanted isn't the right word; needed is more accurate.

For 14 years, Eugene Baltimore had been a high school's head basketball coach. The past eight were spent directing the Brentsville District High School girls' team to new heights, including the program's first state tournament berth.

He loved working with the kids, but he knew he was getting stretched too far. Something had to give. In March 2008, he opted to spend more time with his own kids, something that often got pushed by the wayside because of coaching commitments.

But his star player at Brentsville, the one he'd known since they first crossed paths at a basketball camp when she was in fifth grade, wasn't letting him off that easy.

Coach follows player

Kimmy Hopkins, Brentsville's all-time leading scorer, was already considering Christopher Newport University as her college choice.

But when she learned that CNU women's basketball coach Carolyn Hunter had offered Baltimore a position on her staff as a part-time assistant, Hopkins' interest in the program rose exponentially.

Baltimore's direct involvement with the Captains would be restricted by living and working 2.5 hours from the Newport News-based school, but he would still be an integral member of the staff, from scouting to recruiting to coaching.

And in Hopkins' eyes, getting Baltimore even on a limited basis was better than no Baltimore.

So she made her pitch: Come and coach me in college.

Baltimore mulled it all over, but in the end, he knew he couldn't turn down Hopkins.

The bond between the two, with Hopkins calling Baltimore her second dad and Baltimore considering Hopkins an extended member of his own family, was too tight. Baltimore was in, Hopkins followed suit and CNU got a nice package deal from Nokesville.

"She wanted me to be a part of her college life as well as high school," said Baltimore, who continues to teach at Brentsville. "It was hard to say no."

Even though it wasn't the exit strategy from coaching Baltimore originally had in mind, it's worked out well and the timing has given him the chance to be part of something special.

A good situation

Although CNU has made five previous trips in the past 11 seasons to the NCAA Division III Tournament, it has never had a season like this. The Captains are 30-0 and looking to add another milestone victory today when they play Rochester (21-6) at 6 p.m. in Union, N.J., in a Sweet 16 game.

CNU has a distinct Prince William County feel to it with three local players -- Hopkins, Alysa Kerr (Freedom) and Barbara Davis (Stonewall Jackson) -- on the roster along with Baltimore. Hopkins and Davis both start, while Kerr is the team's first person off the bench.

All three players have contributed in major ways. Hopkins is the team's third-leading scorer (9.7 per game), Davis leads the team in rebounding (7.2 per game) and Kerr scored a career-high 24 points over the weekend in a 72-48 win over Roanoke that propelled the Captains into the Sweet 16.

Baltimore was not able to make the games last weekend because of a prior family commitment, but he followed all the action on his computer as well as through texts and phone calls.

"He's very much a part of this team on a daily basis even if he's not here every single day," Hunter said.

Hunter and Baltimore had known each other for a few years, having met at clinics and showcase events. But she got to know him even more with CNU recruiting Hopkins.

Hunter was impressed with his basketball knowledge and his understanding of the ins and outs of Division III basketball; Baltimore had played at that level at Shenandoah University.

She also knew he might be available since he was planning on retiring, so it made perfect sense to her to offer him the position.

"I felt like he was the right coach for this assignment," Hunter said. "I don't feel I've been wrong."

Life as a Division III assistant isn't glamorous and certainly not one where top dollars are paid for salaries. Of Hunter's four assistants, only one is full-time. The others, like Baltimore, have other jobs while living in the Newport News area.

Baltimore's main responsibilities for CNU are centered on recruiting, where he said he keeps tabs on players from the Prince William, Fairfax and Fredericksburg areas. He also scouts opponents in this region for CNU and then chips in with coaching advice, whether in person or through other means.

For his part, Baltimore likes the way Hunter communicates and runs her program.

"I wouldn't go this route with any other person," Baltimore said.

Helping Keyla

Despite still being a coach, Baltimore did draw the line when it came to his oldest daughter, Keyla, a four-year starter for the Tigers and this year's Evergreen District player of the year.

In that case, he was a dad first and a recruiter second, even when it came to his role in helping her decide where she wanted to play college basketball.

Baltimore pushed his daughter to consider competing at the Division I or II level, but she wanted to go a different route. Once she expressed her desire to find a school where she could play right away and still enjoy herself, Eugene Baltimore backed off and let his daughter sort it out, even if that meant she might not go to CNU either.

While the Captains expressed an interest in Keyla, she signed instead with Bluefield, an NAIA school. Bluefield, which first started following her after getting a commitment from Brentsville teammate Chelsie Tooke, could provide some money for an athletic scholarship and she liked her visit with the coaches and players.

That was good enough for dad.

"There was no undue pressure on her," Eugene Baltimore said.

The future

Baltimore has no idea how long he will continue coaching in this capacity, but he's savoring every moment of it.

He headed to Richmond on Wednesday to scout at the Virginia High School League's state semifinals. And once he's done there, he will head to New Jersey today and join the team there as it prepares to take another step on its historic run.

"It's exciting to experience this opportunity," Baltimore said. "To get to where we are, we still know it's going to be tough, but we're capable of doing it."

Sports editor David Fawcett can be reached at 703-878-8052 or at dfawcett@insidenova.com.