THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602230159
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close Up
SOURCE: Rebecca Myers
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
Perhaps it's the ``whoosh'' of that bright orange ball as it passes through the net.
Or the squeaking sound of sneakers as players race across the court.
Whatever the attraction is, Jim Sherrill still is lured back to high school gymnasiums six years after retirement to run the Eastern Regional basketball tournament.
So why does this retired athletic director with 33 years of coaching behind him still care about high school basketball?
``I guess I'm a sucker, I don't know,'' Sherrill, 63, said jokingly. ``It's a lot of work, but I have the time.''
Actually, he continues to organize the tournament - a task he assumed in 1974 - because he really enjoys it.
``It keeps me active and keeps me involved with sports,'' he said.
It also has given Sherrill the opportunity to see some national ``Players of the Year,'' like J.R. Reid and Alonzo Mourning.
This year's tournament starts Monday and ends Friday. Semifinals and finals will be played Wednesday through Friday at Churchland High School.
Sherrill began coaching at Woodrow Wilson High School in 1957 and served as athletic director there from 1971 until he retired in 1990. During his 34-year teaching career, the North Carolina native worked all but one year at Wilson.
``Wilson High School, for many of the years that I was there, was like family,'' said Sherrill, who moved to Portsmouth from Statesville, N.C., when he was 24. ``Everybody was close.''
More than anything else, he says he misses the daily interaction with students.
``A lot of people say that students have changed, that they're not the same, that they're a discipline problem,'' said Sherrill, ``but I really miss the kids.
``I had a good relationship with them. A lot of them are victims of their environment. They can't help where they come from.''
About three years ago, the Wilson High School Alumni Association started raising money for an annual scholarship to be given in Sherrill's honor.
``I was really embarrassed when they told me a scholarship was being established in my name because I didn't think I was deserving of anything like that,'' he said.
Could it be that Sherrill has forgotten about the winning streak he had in 1958-59 as a junior varsity coach at Wilson? His football team won eight games without a loss, his basketball team was undefeated in 20 games and his baseball team won all 16 of its games.
And there was the year he coached Wilson's basketball team to the state championship in 1964-65.
``We were very competitive, and I enjoyed that,'' said Sherrill. ``I always thought Wilson was the No. 1 school in the area. Of course, I know everyone says that, but to me, it was No. 1.''
Soon after this year's basketball tournament is over, he plans to get back to his landscaping business, which he operates 10 months out of the year.
``That's going real well,'' he said. ``I get all the work I want to do!''
Sherrill also works with the homeless through his church, First Presbyterian in downtown Portsmouth, and through Oasis.
``We sleep the homeless three weeks out of the winter season at our church,'' said Sherrill, ``so I've been busy with that.''
Name: Jim Sherrill.
Nickname: ``Pete.''
Number of years in Portsmouth: Worked in Portsmouth School System for 33 years.
Birthplace: Statesville, N.C.
Birthdate: 10-5-32.
Occupation: Retired teacher/coach/athletic administrator.
What job other than your own would you like? Manager of New York Yankees.
Marital Status: Married.
Children: Kim, 35; Tina, 33; and Kristen, 29.
Grandchildren: Randall, 11; Robin, 14; and Teresa, 14.
Fondest childhood memory: Coming to Virginia Beach to visit my aunt and her four children (my cousins) during World War II.
First concert: None. They didn't have concerts when I was growing up.
What song or book title best describes your life? ``I Believe.''
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? A permanent home for the homeless people.
If you could trade places for just one day with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? The president because each day he has the opportunity to change the course of history and to make the world a better place to live.
Biggest accomplishment: Winning the Virginia State AAA Basketball Championship in 1965.
Most embarrassing moment: Being teased about my North Carolina accent when I started teaching at Wilson.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would be more friendly to everyone, particularly the elderly.
Perfect way to spend the day: With my grandchildren on my mother's farm in North Carolina.
I can't resist: Watching a telecast of the North Carolina basketball team.
Favorite restaurant: Stonebridge Restaurant, owned by a Wilson graduate.
Favorite hangout: My home.
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: Getting rid of the drug element.
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
A professional baseball team.
That all Portsmouth students strive to do the very best they can.
That a stadium large enough for regional and state events be built at the new I.C. Norcom High School.
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about Portsmouth? All the great people who live and work in the city and the friendliness with which they greet you. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
by CNB