High school basketball: Monson helping Ravens soar

Coaching his own son probably wouldn't be all that difficult for Reid Monson if his son wasn't one of the best big men in the state.

If the son rarely played, Monson would probably forget he's even on the team at times, and he definitely wouldn't get caught up in worrying about whether he's favoring him over another kid for playing time.

Monson doesn't have that luxury though. His son, Neal Monson, is an extremely talented 6-foot-10 big man who's receiving interest on the recruiting front from a handful of Pac-10 schools, not mention most in-state schools and the brainy Ivy League schools.

With such home-grown talent at his disposal, it's easy to see why coach Monson made his son the focal point of Waterford's offense this year. Any coach in the state from Class 5A down to 1A would've done the same thing, but despite the reassurance coach Monson is still conflicted.

"It is probably one of the most trying things, especially when he's good. You've got to kind of find that balance," said coach Monson. "I'm never going to be comfortable with it, I think."

Considering that Neal is only a junior, and his other son, Seth, is a freshman on the team as well, perhaps someday he'll be comfortable coaching his own sons.

Regardless of the comfort level between father and son, Neal Monson has been a dominant force this year for the Ravens leading them to a 16-4 record by averaging 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds. Without him, Waterford probably wouldn't even be a playoff team. With him, the Ravens are one of the best teams in 3A and head into the state tournament this Friday as a legit contender.

Few could've predicted such success after a 1-9 record in Region 10 a year ago. With Monson leading the way this year the Ravens finished with an 8-2 record with one of those wins putting a halt to Judge's 41-game region winning streak.

Monson had another double-double in the win, not bad when you consider Judge triple-teamed him all night and didn't even bother defending several of Waterford's guards along the perimeter. Everyone knows the only way to beat Waterford is to stop Monson, something his father went to great lengths to prevent this offseason.

"I spent the summer studying and talking to as many coaches as I respect and admire about what zones they might throw at him and what plays I could use," said Monson. "He's not a prototypical big in that he has to catch the ball in the block. We'll move him where we need him. He's comfortable at the top of the key, he's comfortable on the wings, he's comfortable shooting 3s, he's kind of more of a small forward in a big mans body.