Judge coach receives Sports Professional Award

SALT LAKE CITY — "I have always felt that coaching is really at the high school level because that is where you can have so much more impact on the lives of the players," said James Yerkovich, Judge Memorial Catholic High School vice principal and head basketball coach.

Yerkovich, who has coached for more than 40 years, was awarded the 2006 Utah Sports Professional of the Year Award Sept. 13, at the Multiple Sclerosis Champions Awards Dinner sponsored by the McCarthey family.

"This is a wonderful recognition, but I bring a lot of people with me to the podium," said Yerkovich. "My assistant coaches share in this award, as well as the administrations over the years who have backed me. It was an individual award, but it represents all the teams I have coached and the whole Judge Memorial community. I was humbled to be recognized since this award has been given to professional basketball players like John Stockton and Karl Malone.

"Jim Yerkovich’s love is obviously basketball, but what he really loves is creating a team," said Jim Hamburge, principal of Judge Memorial. "It is his particular gift to create the sense of "we," and the sense of team where everybody works together, strives together, and achieves together. He gets the teams to work together toward common goals, and to really care about each other, not just as players, but as teammates.

"When you look at this award, it is not only a tribute to Coach Yerkovich, it is also a tribute the role of a high school coach," said Hamburge. "He has modeled and promoted the Christian life lessons taught through high school athletic programs. The fact that you can truly impact the values of young men and teach them to be, not just good athletes, but good people as well.

"Some coaches check their players’ grade point averages just to make sure they are eligible to play," said Hamburge. "Coach Yerkovich’s philosophy is if his players are being too selfish, he will sit them down even if they are academically eligible. You can never be a good team if you have a selfish teammate. It is a whole different way of looking at the development of a team. Coach Yerkovich is committed far beyond wins and losses, he is committed to developing men and working to help them achieve their highest potential."