Putnam West brings glory back to basketball programs
WARR ACRES — Dick Balenseifen is convinced basketball has never been this good at his alma mater.
Sitting behind his desk at his Putnam City Schools office, Balenseifen is surrounded by memories of his coaching career. A silver basketball trophy sits beside other photos, including a signed picture with NFL star JJ Watt from a fundraiser.
The Putnam City Schools’ district athletic director’s face lights up when he talks about Putnam West High School basketball.
“It’s never been better than it is right now,” Balenseifen said.
Balenseifen then paused, smiled and brought up Putnam North’s boys basketball team.
“We’re tickled pink as a district to send three teams to the state tournament,” he said. “It’s definitely an exciting week.”
As the Class 6A state tournaments open Thursday in the Tulsa area, Putnam City Schools is bringing back the glory days, particularly at Putnam West.
The Patriots, once written off by nearly everyone, have placed teams in both boys and girls brackets for a second straight season. The boys have made six straight trips to Tulsa.
“There’s been a resurrection and I think it’s the attitude that they’re going
to play hard at Putnam West and just see what happens,” Balenseifen said.
He would know. A basketball and baseball player who graduated from Putnam West in 1983, Balenseifen eventually returned and coached boys basketball from 1991-96. He only stopped to become an administrator.
Throughout the years he had seen teams of lore develop.
Mike Little’s dominant football teams at Putnam West and Putnam North. Jim Brown’s 1981 Putnam West girls basketball team that won a state title.
A.D. Burtschi long-standing tradition with four basketball state championships at Putnam City.
Balenseifen witnessed the famous 1977 Class 4A state championship football game between Putnam City and Putnam West, which the Pirates won 21-14 in overtime. It was a legendary battle of future college quarterbacks Kelly Phelps and Scott Tinsley.
One thing was common in those teams: coaching consistency.
Balenseifen believes Putnam West has regained that in boys coach Lenny Bert and girls coach Carlos Adamson, two college teammates and friends.
Bert was hired eight years ago. It was his first head coach position, but he was deemed ready by now-retired principal Buster Meeks.
The Patriots have been to state all but two years, winning a gold ball once.
Four years ago, Adamson was moved from Bert’s staff to the girls program.
The previous year, Putnam West had had one won just one game.
Now, it’s the favorite to win Class 6A.
“I just think if now you were in high school you probably thought it was always a good basketball tradition,” Bert said. “But when we got there it wasn’t. Other sports were looked down on. It seems like the morale of the school is up and everybody is looking forward to basketball.”
Bert and Adamson were the overlooked players in high school and early at Rose State. But they fought and landed at different Division II programs. Now, they bring that attitude to their players.
“We always had to work harder than everybody else,” Adamson said.
“It comes through us when we’re coaching. We don’t mind coaching up underrated players.”
That’s what brings a smile to Balenseifen’s face.
He’s still known to pull a player aside at any of the three high schools to offer encouragement. He’ll still coach them.
And now he gets to watch the return of the Patriots.
“If you watch their teams, they’re going to play full-court pressure and they’re going to play extremely hard,” Balenseifen said. “I think they’ve had a positive impact on other sports at Putnam City West.
“We take great pride in it.”