Whole new ballgame: Jeff Nelson trying his hand at coaching basketball

REDMOND — Jeff Nelson is sprawled at the end of the bench, a piercing intensity in his eyes and a slight scowl under his thin mustache as he watches his team headed for another ugly loss.

The Mariners reliever shifts his 6-foot-8, 235-pound frame forward. Gnawing on a wad of gum, he crosses his legs and folds his arms across his chest. The score gets worse, and Nelson settles back into a slouch. He checks his watch.

Nelson isn't in the Safeco Field bullpen, however, and the next game on the Mariners' schedule is months away.

The All-Star relief pitcher is sitting in a high-school gym, coaching an over-matched junior-varsity boys basketball team from Bear Creek School in front of a few dozen parents and kids.

And he still can't get comfortable with losing.

"Hopefully, the kids learn from it, because I don't like losing," Nelson admitted. "I hate it at any level. Sometimes it's hard to get over that obstacle and realize that these guys are still learning instead of playing in a business where winning is really everything. When you've played so long in the major leagues and minor leagues, it's tough to kind of revert back to the fun part."

Nelson, who grew up in Baltimore, played basketball through high school and officiated prep games in Washington and Maryland for years, but coaching is new territory for the 36-year-old.

Yet when Bear Creek, a private school, needed a coach, Nelson stepped into the job. Two of Nelson's four daughters, who range in age from 2 to 7, are among the 600 students enrolled at the K-12 school.

Now he coaches 20 basketball games a season and spends two hours every weekday at practice.

"He has really been a dream to work with from an athletic director's position," said Annette Duvall, who started the Bear Creek athletic program five years ago and first approached Nelson about coaching before last season. "It can be fairly intimidating for someone to be employing a guy that's a pro athlete, but Jeff has never once thought his background brings him in here above and beyond what anyone else has to do, and I have found that to be remarkable."

And even though his JV team is only 4-10, Bear Creek has already quadrupled last season's wins total.

Nelson says he is enjoying the experience.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "The kids work hard and they get a lot out of it. They enjoy that I'm their coach, but at the same time I want to win, too. As long as they have fun at it and don't get frustrated at it, they'll stick with it for a while instead of saying, 'Hey, we're getting beat by 30 or 40 points. I'm not going to play this game anymore, because it's not fun.' "

With a program so unaccustomed to success, an ultra-competitive coach could be just what Bear Creek needs.

"It's been very helpful for our young men to see his intensity," Duvall said. "He's intense in the moment, but he can also let it go when it's over."

Nelson has managed to inject a competitive attitude and work ethic into his team without taking the enjoyment out of the game.

"We were asking him to coach us for baseball, but he has to go down to Arizona for spring training," said junior forward Aaron Barquist, who also plays baseball. "He's fun to play for, and once you get to know him, you can talk to him about whatever. ... We don't win much, but it's fun to play."

Freshman guard Kyle Goldsmith interjects, "We make losing fun."

But as Nelson watches, the rout becomes a slaughter — and losing doesn't look any fun as Seattle Academy goes up by 41 points in the final minute. Then, with time running out, the Grizzlies charge down the court and sink a desperation jump shot at the buzzer.

Nelson finally rises from the bench. The four-time world champion's team has lost 62-23, but managed to pull within 40 at the finish.

He smiles, and claps his hands. Small victories can be nice, too.

Jabari Ritchie: 206-464-8294 or jritchie@seattletimes.com.