2018 LOCALS LOVE US: Marble Falls Coach John Berkman Has Commitment and Heart

MARBLE FALLS — When John Berkman was told The Picayune readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners had voted him the 2018 Locals Love Us favorite school coach in the Marble Falls area, he was stunned.
And, he didn’t know why he received the honor.
“I have no idea,” he said, still in shock. “I’d like to think it says we’re moving in the right direction as far as the program.”
Maybe it’s because of the success Berkman has had leading the Lady Mustangs. He’s in his second year as the Marble Falls High School girls athletics coordinator and girls head basketball coach. The Lady Mustangs are in the mix for the District 26-5A crown this season, a year after they finished second in the standings and won three playoff games. The 2017 season ended with a 46-28 loss to Corpus Christi Flour Bluff in the semifinals of the Class 5A Region IV tournament.
Or, maybe it’s because Berkman, as director of the Young Guns youth basketball league, took an active role in ensuring children learn the fundamentals of the sport as well as building a love for the game.
“One of the things that has been lost in Marble Falls as far as basketball kids is love for the sport,” he said. “Young Guns is a lifeline to instill love of the sport in our kids.”
It could also be because Berkman knows what the sport means to the community. A former Marble Falls basketball standout himself, Berkman played for his father, Larry, and led the team to the district championship in 2000-01, the same year many picked the Mustangs to finish fifth in the race.
Another team that was overlooked? Berkman’s 2017 Lady Mustangs. And look at how that turned out.
Berkman took over a program that was on a 29-game district losing streak and picked to finish seventh in last season’s district race. He had built a rapport with the players while coaching them during a spring basketball league. When the girls athletics coordinator and girls head coaching jobs came open in 2016, former athletics director Matt Green knew Berkman was the right choice.
The biggest challenge? Berkman had always been a boys coach.
However, Larry Berkman noted that his son inherited the best qualities of both his parents: his fiery intensity and commitment to teaching and mother Tammy’s loving and understanding heart. To the elder Berkman, that’s why the Lady Mustangs are enjoying success.
To the younger Berkman, the reason for that success has to do with one key difference than when he played.
“We have better athletes now than when I was playing,” he said.
This season has had its own challenges. While standout posts Aubree Adams and Mya McMillian returned for their senior years, many of the guards and a couple of forwards graduated in 2017. So the posts have had to learn to play with new teammates, some of whom are playing on the varsity for the first time.
Still, Berkman credited the seniors for remaining true to their goals and every player learning about each other.
“A year into it, we’re a different kind of team,” he said. “The girls know what I expect of them, and they know what to expect of me. We have to approach the game differently, and we have to be prepared for everybody’s best shot. They understand what it means to be prepared for a game.”
As for being named Locals Love Us favorite school coach, Berkman was humble in his acceptance of the award.
“I’m honored to get this and thankful to anybody who thinks I’m worthy of the award,” he said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com