DISPATCH COACH OF THE YEAR

It has been said that clutter is the product of a busy mind. The folders, notebooks, books and other paperwork piled in Jim Foster's office would suggest that that applies to him. Visitors can't help but notice that all that stuff sits not on a desk but on a circular coffee table surrounded by leather chairs. Foster's thinking fits in no one's box, and he doesn't believe in the centerpiece of all office furniture. quot;Colin Powell didn't have a desk,quot; said Foster, Ohio State's women's basketball coach. quot;I think a desk is like a formality. Not having a desk makes for a better environment for conversation with your players. Why talk over a desk?quot; Although Foster can match X's and O's with his peers, his ability to communicate with players has been just as important during a 31-year career that has produced 685 victories. Coaches in the state rewarded Foster for another job well-done by voting him the Dispatch Ohio women's college basketball coach of the year. He led the Buckeyes to the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships and a 29-6 record that included wins over Sacred Heart and Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Ashlee Trebilcock laughed upon hearing why Foster doesn't have a desk. quot;He would have a theory about that,quot; she said. quot;But he does value communication. He wants the players talking on the floor. As a player, you know where you're at with him and the team. As an example, he'll take Sam Prahalis or Jantel Lavender aside and say, 'You're doing this and this right, but you have to work on this.' He wants the team to be family.quot; Coaches often are guilty of forgetting about injured players because they can't help their team right now. Not Foster. quot;When I had the knee injury, he would walk in and give me articles about life in general,quot; Trebilcock said. quot;One was about Lance Armstrong. Another was about what it means to be a basketball player. There also was one about players that get into trouble off the field. He gives good advice.quot; Foster tweaked his style this season. Players no longer had to cover tattoos. He allowed player introductions to include a light show. His antennae also are up more than ever. quot;You need to be a good listener,quot; Foster said. quot;Players are different. You're working with a bunch of people that haven't heard the word no much in their lives. They still need constructive criticism, and I think that is a lost art. You have to get them to have an even greater capacity for hard work. What's your goal? You want them to be cohesive and work for the betterment of the team.quot; Ohio State coaches have been able to avoid much of the diva factor by recruiting their type of player. quot;You look for good traits,quot; Foster said. quot;Does (the high school player) gesture negatively to teammates or look into the stands during the game? Does the player storm past coaches and teammates on the way to the bench? Those aren't good signs. (At Ohio State), it's not about you. It's about your team.quot; Lavender, Big Ten player of the year, said Foster has earned the players' respect. quot;When he was recruiting me, Coach said he molds players, and he was moving his hands as if molding a piece of clay,quot; she said. quot;My mom was impressed by what he said. I just love him. He's one of the best people I've ever met on or off the court. You work hard for him, and he gives you more freedom. He wants greatness from us in every way.quot; mznidar@dispatch.com Box Story: Voting results Results of voting for the Dispatch Ohio women's college basketball coach of the year award (first-place votes worth three points, second-place two points and third-place one point; first-place votes in parentheses): COACH, SCHOOL PTS Jim Foster, Ohio State (10) ... 42 Curt Miller, Bowling Green (6) ... 26 Robin Hagen-Smith, Shawnee State (3) ... 19 Dixie Jeffers, Capital (3) ... 11 Kevin McGuff, Xavier ... 8 Nan Carney-DeBord, Ohio Wesleyan (2) ... 7 Beth Fox, Muskingum ... 6 Sara Lee, Denison ... 6 Jim Jabir, Dayton ... 6 Steve Gregory, Mount Vernon Nazarene ... 4 Bob Lindsay, Kent State ... 4 Bob Booher, Lake Erie (1) ... 3 Tricia Cullop, Toledo ... 3 Cheri Harrer, Baldwin-Wallace ... 3 Kirk Martin, Cedarville ... 3 Sue Ramsey, Ashland ... 2 Suzy Venet, Mount Union ... 2 Kate Peterson Abiad, Cleveland State ... 1 Suzanne Helfant, Kenyon ... 1 Jodi Kest, Akron ... 1 Rob Phillips, Urbana ... 1