By BRENDAN McGAIR

Airing out the notebook from a busy weekend of high school hoops …

Maybe at long last Joe Handy won’t have to look over his shoulder, wondering if the rug is going to be yanked out from underneath him without so much as a heads up.
It shouldn’t take winning a title, which the Central Falls girls’ squad Handy oversees accomplished this past weekend, for the powers-to-be to realize what a special figure he truly is. Yet there is Handy, wondering on a year-by-year basis if he’s going to serve as the Warriors’ head coach.
It’s time for once and for all to declare Handy’s job security a dead issue. The topic has been the 500-pound elephant in the room for far too long.
A little background: when Handy succeeded Kathy Luther nine seasons ago, a clause was put in his contract stating that if he applied for the job for three consecutive years and didn’t face opposition, he would be “grandfathered” in. That means old treaties would be then torn up and the position would become Handy’s for as long as he desired.
The language in the contract was changed after Handy’s sixth season on the bench. Now he has to go and reapply every 12 months, a sweating out process that shouldn’t even be taking place in the first place.
Handy has earned the right to coach at CF on his terms. He shouldn’t be subjected to this type of uncertainty. The man was a part of the Warriors’ last boys’ basketball title in 1987. Just a few days ago Handy punctuating his status in CF athletic lore by taking a group of girls along a championship ride. You won’t find too many in Central Falls containing those types of credentials.
To the decision makers responsible for making Handy jump through hoops, enough already. The best person is already onboard.
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Brian Crookes, CF’s boys’ basketball coach, deserves a ton of credit for being present at URI’s Ryan Center Sunday, one day after the Warriors fell in the Division III Championship. To put aside the pain that accompanies such an agonizing conclusion, not to mention returning to the scene of the crime, reveals tremendous character on his part.
Crookes has mentioned in the past how much respect he has for Handy and how he isn’t afraid to solicit advice from his Warrior coaching counterpart. To witness his close confidant celebrate with his girls may have been tough on Crookes’ eyes, but part of him is probably glad he turned out to lend support.
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Now we know where Mary Oftring gets her basketball genes. A star junior at Mount St. Charles, Oftring’s grandfather, Frank, starred at Holy Cross as a player in the 1940s before returning to his alma mater to coach for four seasons (1961-65).
As a Crusader player Frank Oftring paired up with NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, guiding Holy Cross to the NCAA crown in 1947. Both were both freshmen. In his four seasons on the bench, Oftring compiled a 64-33 record.
Mary Oftring never got the chance to meet her grandfather (Frank passed away in 1982). Rest assured she was probably inundated with stories growing up, tales that could have paved the way for her to lace up the hightops.
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Brooke Coderre is Rhode Island’s answer to Jason Kidd, a comparison someone drew on press row, watching as the Woonsocket junior was willing her team to the Division II title.
Spend a few minutes watching Coderre and you’ll quickly see she has her hands in everything, a la Kidd. She brings so many skills to the court that followers can’t help but be enthralled with her well-rounded game. Her passing, rebounding and shooting skills are all up there, but the leadership she provides is what separates her from the rest of the field.
There was never any doubt Coderre would be named Tournament MVP, who helped redefine the honor with her endless contributions.
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Word on the street is that two local coaches plan to take the spring season off. Alex Butler, who recently became a first-time father, will skip the boys’ volleyball season at East Providence, where in the past he’s been an assistant coach. At North Smithfield, Steve DeMeo will bypass the head coaching duties for girls’ softball.
Butler and DeMeo are two prime examples of coaches rolling along with the seasons at their respective schools. Butler starts out in the fall as the girls’ volleyball coach while DeMeo oversees girls’ soccer. When it’s wintertime, both coach boys’ basketball.
Enjoy your well-deserved breaks!