Knights go globetrotting to get Capers

Bruce Capers can twirl a basketball on his finger, but don't expect him to show his new team any Harlem Globetrotter tricks.

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Hired as Aiken Tech's head basketball coach last week, Capers is serious about teaching his team the technical side of the game. Translation: His plays will not include pulling down an opponent's shorts or throwing confetti into the stands.

"The ironic thing is the Globetrotters are a fundamentally sound team," said Capers, who played guard for the world-renowned team from 1989-92.

"I'm energetic, intense. I really like to get after coaching people defensively."

Capers officially begins his job Tuesday, but he already has called current players.

He will hold workouts his first week and finish up recruiting before classes begin in August.

Capers was a successful head coach at Atkinson County High School the one season he served there. He was named the 2001 Region 1-A Coach of the Year.

But he wanted to pursue higher education, so he left the school and headed to Valdosta State, where he recently obtained his master's degree in health and physical education. While working on his degree, he played and coached for Meadowlark Lemon's Harlem All-Stars.

With his contacts in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, Capers learned of the Aiken Tech position, which opened up after the program's only head coach, Charles Welch, stepped down in March to focus on his personal life.

Welch started the program 13 years ago, and had a 274-136 career record at the school, including a 29-4 record this past season.

The Knights also won the region nine times and won the district tournament four times to advance to the national tournament.

"I liked the diversity," Capers said. "The school is definitely growing. And the program has been successful.

"It's going to be a challenge to maintain that level of success."

The 41-year-old Capers, who has a 12-year-old son, Dezmen, is familiar with junior college basketball.

From 1997-2000, he served as an assistant coach at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga.

Capers said he's happy to be in the area. His sister lives nearby and his parents reside in Savannah, Ga.

"It's like a homecoming for me," he said.

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.