It was made official today that Vermont Frost Heaves coach Will Voigt will be the new head coach of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Developmental League. Will deserves our sincerest congratulations and well-wishes as he accepts and begins work with this new job. He's also getting married in September and will head west shortly thereafter. Guy's got a busy few weeks ahead of him.
It's been an interesting time covering Will and the Frost Heaves. I've learned a lot from him, both about basketball and how to do my job (and how to react when I get scooped!). He's brought in players from literally all over the country and the globe who have allowed me to write some great stories. Some of those players I still talk to today, and the bond the players have made with people in this community still tends to surprise me. Will was very supportive when we lost Pete Hartt unexpectedly this past March, as Pete and Will went back more than a few years to Will's high school playing days at Cabot.
I am sure I drove him just as crazy as he drove me sometimes, and that's fine. That's the game, and that's my job. I am excited for him and will follow the Jam and keep you all updated through this blog. The Jam will be in Portland, Maine, around Christmas to play the D-League-expansion Red Claws, and I am willing to bet the Fan Van folks might already be thinking of a trip to see him.
The rumor mills are always turning, especially when it comes to the Frost Heaves, and fans have been researching the ins and outs of Bakersfield since the whole thing came up at the end of July. Perhaps the Vermont fans are just a wee bit protective of Will, which shouldn't surprise anyone who has been to a game and seen him interact with fans afterward. I know I've learned to cut him off and talk to him as fast as possible after games before the fans sweep him away. And he will talk to every single one of them. All the players do. After the Manchester-Vermont incident at Memorial Auditorium during Season 2 the players were not able to join fans on the floor after the game because the game was called early after a few arms went swinging. The fans weren't the only ones disappointed. Truly disappointed.
Whoever the new coach turns out to be, they have big shoes to fill, and I'm sure they know it. But the beauty of the Vermont fans is how eager they are to welcome new players and coaches into what John Bryant referred to in my story in tomorrow's (8/26) paper as "Frost Heaves nation." It may be a small nation compared to Red Sox nation, but the devotion is the same.
Perhaps Bakersfield has a few more East Coast fans today.
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