'It all just came out': Coach doubles as crowd hype man
“I really wanted to win that game. In that moment, I just felt a wave of emotion, pride, energy, and enthusiasm."
Jonathan Yim might have just offered up the most energetic public hype moment ever seen by a Southland sports coach.
Let us set the scene.
It was the third quarter of the Southland Sharks’ all-important National Basketball League fixture against the Franklin Bulls at ILT Stadium Southland on Sunday night.
Southland went up 67-62 in the third quarter on the back of a nice lay-up from veteran Alonzo Burton.
It prompted the Bulls to call a timeout before Sharks coach Jonathan Yim went into full hype mode.
He ran onto the Stadium Southland court to gee up his players before turning to the crowd in the Ray Harper Stand to do the same.
It was the moment that hammered home how invested the American is in his first year coaching the Sharks in the New Zealand league.
“I really wanted to win that game. In that moment, I just felt a wave of emotion, pride, energy, and enthusiasm,” Yim told The Tribune.
“It all just came out because we started making a run, and I just felt like everyone was sitting on edge and everyone was waiting all game long to cheer for something, and I just wanted that to be the moment. Let’s go.
“I’ve been a big proponent that we are all connected. The players, the coaches, and the fans. We really feed off that energy from the crowd.”
Yim has spent time in NBA and G-League coaching setups in the United States.
He admits to being somewhat surprised by the relatively tame New Zealand crowds and was happy to play the role of hype man.
When the referees handed Yim a technical foul during Sunday’s game, it sparked some booing from Sharks fans, which Yim lapped up.
“I loved it when I got the technical, and everyone was booing. That was great because I felt like they had my back,” Yim said.
“In America, the fans can get a little more aggressive than New Zealand fans, so in a playoff game, or a high-level game like [Sunday night] was, I think the American fans would be amped up to begin with, and the players might be able to fire up the crowd.
“Everyone is very nice here in New Zealand, and that was the first time I herd anyone boo in a game in New Zealand so far.
“So, I thought that’s kind of cool, I know you guys can do that now.”
The Southland Sharks went on to win Sunday night’s game against the Bulls 100-93
It means Southland remains in the top six spot with four round-robin games to play before the playoffs.
The Sharks have won five of their last six outings following a challenging start to the season.
Yim is happy with where the team has got to and was always confident that they would improve.
“We started [one win-five losses] because that Panthers game doesn’t count. So to be here is a testament to trusting the process. But it is also a testament to our guys and the growth they have shown over the course of the year.”
The Sharks now eye an important double header on the road this weekend.
They will play Hawke’s Bay on Friday night before heading to Auckland to take on the Tuatara on Sunday.