Here's Brent Jameson

The lure of the basketball coaching profession is a mysterious one unless you are on a first-name basis with the address changer at the post office and a steady diet of Top Ramen agrees with you.

All kidding aside, the world of coaching is chock full of unheralded people who possess a special appreciation when seeing their players get better and in being great examples away from the court.

(Jameson on the right with the Sac High staff)

Count Brent Jameson among them.

Unfortunately, the Lakeshow Black 17s head coach and assistant at Ohlone College is soon departing from the Bay Area (our loss, Indiana's gain). So let's tell his story while he is still around.

Jameson grew up in a small town of 3,300 outside Flint, Michigan, a town that now has seen better days but home to a solid contingent of talents from Mateen Cleaves to Morris Peterson and, going further back, Glen Rice, Roy Marlow, Jeff Grayer and Terry Furlow. As he put it, "we had an edgy competitiveness because we had to earn the respect of the city schools" when playing ball. Jameson participated in five sports -- golf, soccer, football, baseball and basketball -- but it was the latter that stuck.

He also played hoops at Kalamazoo Valley Community College where he was a key contributor on teams that won back-to-back league championships in the Western Conference of the MCCAA (Michigan Community College Athletic Association).

Later, a move to Los Angeles to live with his sister took place.

"When I was 24, 25, (he's 29 now) I had an epiphany," Jameson recalled. "I had so many great coaches when I was growing up, coaches who really made an impression on me."

So entering the coaching field it was.

Although he had never met him before, Jameson emailed Sacramento High Coach Derek Swafford. The Dragon program was a very successful one and that was attractive.

The result?

Three years as a volunteer assistant, working under Swafford and Earl Allen Jr.

Oh yes, Jameson also met the woman who would become his wife during this period. It was at a team camp both he and she were working. She was employed by the St. Mary's basketball program and they married a year ago.

Thus began an introduction to Randy Bennett. Rick Croy (now the head coach at Cal Baptist) became a mentor.

Diablo Valley College Coach Steve Coccimiglio was also helpful in Jameson eventually landing positions at Ohlone College and with the Lakeshow program run by Joe Fuca.

That move to an assistant position at Ohlone College led to the gleaning of knowledge from Coach John Peterson as well as Renegade assistants Justin Carter and Pete Morales, the latter a longtime East Bay coach in the high school ranks including Bishop O'Dowd.

"Coach Peterson has been an amazing mentor. He's one of the great teachers in the game regardless of level. I literally had a NotePad and a pen out for the first couple months of practice. He cares deeply about his players and looks after them like they were his own kids. When I was looking for a job last year, my goal was to get with a master coach. I'd say I met that goal, plus some."

All this on top of playing for his high school coach John Fattal -- "a great leader and unbelievable worker" -- and Dick Shilts --"he won 700 games in 36 years at Kalamazoo Valley and Western Michigan."

The move to Indiana -- where basketball is as close to a state religion as possible -- will have Jameson assisting at Seymour High, home to the third largest gym (seating 8,100) in the country. He also was appointed to the Director of Parks and Recreation position for the city of Seymour. 

"I love the high school level," Jameson said. "The kids are more open books and easier to mold if you have good kids open to coaching."

The following about his spring and summer Lakeshow crew offers a prime example of why coaching for Jameson:

"They played extremely unselfishly and together… qualities that aren’t often associated with summer basketball. This team really came together this year and made huge strides from spring to summer. Individually, each player worked on their game and made drastic improvements over a three month period. As a group, they showed what happens when you play team basketball. They were coachable, unselfish, and disciplined. They played for one another and enjoyed being around each other on and off the court. I had a handful of college coaches tell me that we were their favorite team to watch because the character of our kids shined through on the court. I would highly recommend each and every player on this team and I know each player will make a huge contribution at their high schools this year and their colleges in the future."

The rewards for those coaching for the right reasons such as Jameson cannot be topped when five become one. It's an experience of grace in a world of so much the opposite.