Former Hillmen player, current coach Havens headed for Placer HOF

There's no doubt that coaches have a tremendous influence in the lives of their athletes. Such influence often leads to those athletes becoming coaches themselves. Randy Havens (Class of 1978) continues to give back to the athletic heritage learned in high school by coaching basketball at Colfax and tennis at Placer. For his success in both sports at Placer, as well as Sierra College, Cal Poly and the professional tennis world, he will be inducted into the Placer Athletic Hall of Fame April 25 in a ceremony in the Earl Crabbe Gym. At Placer, Havens played basketball under coaches Terry Tangney and Tom Barry and played tennis under coach Rad McCord. Because the three coaches were also tennis players, Havens established a bond with them off campus at the Auburn Racquet Club, where he was a member. Even after high school, he'd encounter the ex-coaches on the tennis court, converse with them, compete against them and develop life-long friendships. He remembers his years at Placer fondly, especially the beauty of the campus, the open-campus policy in which students were given responsibility, and going to football games. He recalls especially his junior year on the basketball team, led by Alan Delisle. "We beat Nevada Union twice that year," Havens said. "And, of course, playing in the Kendall Arnett Tournament was a highlight for anybody." Those were the years, he said, when "the tournament attracted such a crowd that temporary bleachers had to be brought onto the floor to accommodate the fans. Playing in the Earl Crabbe Gym itself was exciting." McCord spotted Havens as an eighth-grader playing tennis and encouraged him to join the Placer team. When he got to high school, he played four years of varsity tennis for the Hillmen and teamed up with Lars Gehlbach to win the Sierra Foothill League doubles championship as a senior. He enjoyed playing tennis at Placer. "There was never a dull moment with McCord," Havens said. "He was fun, energetic and a mentor to me. He taught me tennis and about life as well." After graduating from Placer, Havens enrolled at Sierra College, where he again played basketball and tennis. The tennis team won the state championship in his first year. The next year he teamed with Beau Toy to win the state doubles championship and made it to the quarterfinals in singles. Havens' next stop was Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he was coached by Hugh Bream. There, he was named an NCAA All-American, being highly ranked as a singles player and teaming with Rob Pritzau for a No. 4 national doubles ranking. His love of tennis and competitiveness led him to the professional circuit playing in tournaments from Mexico to the US Midwest. "But I always knew I wanted to come back and live in the Auburn area." Currently, Havens is in his first year as the boys varsity basketball coach at Colfax, moving up from coaching the JV team for 17 years. As a coach, he uses the passing game he learned from Barry and longtime Colfax mentor Ron Pucci. He also has experience as an assistant JV coach at Placer, working with Tangney, and serving as head JV coach there for four years. In the spring, Havens switches to the outdoor courts to coach girls tennis at Placer, continuing the program's long history of multiple league and section championships. He uses the drills he learned in high school from McCord and teaches the fundamentals of the game. He previously served as an assistant tennis coach to Bill Miller, who taught him about practice organization and motivation. During his time, he coached several players who went on to play tennis in college, including sisters Lauren and Karen Holland, Jill Butler, Britni Webb and Eric Holmes. Besides all of his coaching, Havens for the past 16 years has been a Language Arts and US history teacher at Bowman Charter School. He coached girls basketball at the school and served as commissioner of the league for five years. He lives in Weimar with his wife of 31 years, Kristin. They have two sons, Conner 23, and Blake, 17, a senior at Colfax. The Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony will be held in the Earl Crabbe Gym April 25. A meet-and-greet reception will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the 7 p.m. induction ceremony, which is free to the public. Tickets for the reception cost $25 until April 11 and $35 after and are available online at the AHOF website, placerathletichalloffame.org or directly at placerathletichof.brownpapertickets.com. Phone orders may be placed by calling 800-838-3006.