Family helps provide perspective for Olympic High School boys basketball coach Jon O'Connor

Toward the end of Saturday's boys basketball game between Olympic and Lakes, several fans began imploring Trojans head coach Jon O'Connor to make one final player substitution.

"We want Mickey!" the fans chanted. "We want Mickey!"

Sorry Trojan fans, it's going to be more than a few years before Mickey O'Connor is eligible to step on the court. But the 5-year-old son of the head coach, who wore a blue Trojans basketball t-shirt and spent much of the game seated a few feet away from his father, was hardly a passive spectator. During breaks in the action, Mickey dribbled a ball and chatted with his dad. At the final buzzer, Mickey sought high-fives from every player on Olympic's bench.

"He loves basketball," Jon O'Connor said. "He loves being around these guys."

O'Connor said even when Mickey can't attend games, he'll watch livestream videos at home and root for his favorite player, senior Malakai Quinene.

"My wife tells me he's yelling for him 'Dunk it Malakai, dunk it!'" O'Connor said.

If I'm being honest, seeing O'Connor and his son interact was my favorite part of a game that Olympic lost 60-46, but meant little in the grand scheme of things. The Trojans (5-8) enter this week tied with Sequim for fourth place in the Olympic League 2A standings, so more important games remain ahead over the regular season's final two weeks. It all begins with a Tuesday road contest at Bremerton.

It's true that Olympic's program isn't the same as it was nearly a decade ago when O'Connor joined the Trojans as a C-team coach and varsity assistant under former head coach Devin Huff. Back then, the boys in royal blue and silver weren't just thinking about making the playoffs — they were making serious postseason noise. The Trojans placed sixth in state in 2015 while earning a share of the Olympic League title, then placed fifth in state in 2017 after reaching the semifinal round.

O'Connor remembers that 2017 state run with clarity, and there's a good reason. Mickey was born the same day the Trojans knocked off Fife to secure a state tournament berth in Yakima.

"I coached like 12 hours after he was born," said O'Connor, whose wife Kristina teaches history at Olympic.

When Huff stepped down and O'Connor took his place ahead of the 2018-19 season, the Trojans nearly made the state tournament again before running out of steam in a 51-45 regional loss against Fife. Olympic finished 13-12 that winter and it's been a struggle to return to those heights the past few seasons.

After the Lakes game, O'Connor and I briefly chatted about the level of play this winter in West Sound, where only six of the 20 boys and girls teams competing have winning records. We discussed the lack of year-round basketball opportunities in the area, which could be the reason there's been a dip in talent, especially coming out of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I also asked O'Connor if he's changed as a coach since having a family. The 34-year-old didn't even hesitate while saying yes. He's a much busier man these days — and also an appreciative one.

"Fortunately I have a wife who supports what I do and knows that I do it for a bigger reason than winning and losing," said O'Connor, who also has a 3-year-old son. "It's not just about basketball for me."

Sure, there are nights O'Connor is up until 2 a.m. replaying outcomes of games in his head, but he's the type of coach who values time spent with his players just as much as he cares about wins and losses. He became choked up while talking to his players before the Lakes game, knowing that his time coaching Olympic's seven seniors is running out.

"That's the bigger picture for me," O'Connor said. "Obviously we want to win and be competitive and we're trying to do everything we can do to get better and get the program back to the championship level it was at before I took over. But it's more than basketball for me. I try to build relationships with kids, I try to help them with what they want to do after (graduation). Hopefully they understand the family aspect of it."

From Mickey's presence at his dad's games and practices, I think O'Connor's message about the importance of not forgetting family during coaching season is coming in loud and clear.

"Frankly, this group of players have all done a great job of making Mickey feel welcomed, taking the time to slap his hand, talk to him," O'Connor said. "That means more to me than these kids will ever know."

Jeff Graham covers high school sports for the Kitsap Sun. Reach him at jgraham@kitsapsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Family provides perspective for Olympic coach Jon O'Connor