Snohomish coach Len Bone (right) provides instruction to his son, Kegan, a senior on the Panthers boys basketball team, during a recent practice.

Shortly after his team emerged with a big victory, Len Bone The Coach briefly morphed into Len Bone The Dad.

Flanked by four reporters, Bone stood in the boys locker room at Snohomish High School. It was Dec. 8 and his Panthers boys basketball team had just rallied for a 47-46 triumph over Marysville-Pilchuck.

Bone answered questions and analyzed the game, something he's done a hundred times since taking over the Snohomish job in 1995.

But this night was different. Bone's youngest son, senior guard Kegan Bone, had made the game-winning 3-point shot with four seconds remaining. "He bailed us out," the coach said of his son, a first-year varsity player.

A few minutes later coach Bone added, with a spark of pride in his eyes, "His mom's gonna be really happy."

Clearly, dad was too.

Coaching your kids

Len Bone said he always looked forward to coaching his sons in high school, but it also made him nervous.

How would it affect his children's friendships with other kids who played basketball? When people second-guessed Bone's decisions, would his boys be stuck in the middle? Would their ability even justify a spot on the team?

The Bone family dealt with those kinds of challenges when Len coached his oldest son, Grady Bone, a 2005 Snohomish graduate, and they work through the same ones now that Kegan is on the team.

It hasn't been easy, said Len Bone, who was a star player at Shorecrest and went on to play at Seattle Pacific University. Basketball is a high-interest sport, especially in Snohomish, and fans are right on top of the action. With just five guys per team on the floor at a time, the thirst for playing time is magnified.

Middle men

"I was a little bit worried, but it's been good," Len Bone said of coaching his sons. "It's been a credit to (Grady and Kegan) because there were some tough times for them."

"They're the middle (men)," Len Bone added, referring to how his sons have had to juggle loyalty to their father/coach with friendships with teammates, "and really they just want to be a part of the team."

Grady, also a guard, was a backup who played one varsity season for Snohomish. It was Jon Brockman's senior year and the Panthers placed seventh in the 4A state tournament.

"I wasn't a great player," Grady said, "and I'm sure (coach Bone) took some heat for playing me a little bit."

"There (were) some hard parts," Grady added, "but overall (it was) definitely a good experience to be able to have your dad be your coach."

Grady, who attends Everett Community College and has helped as a volunteer assistant at Snohomish, said he enjoyed learning from his dad and getting honest, unfiltered feedback.

Kegan, a starter who averages 7.6 points per game this season, has enjoyed it too, despite some awkward times - like when a few friends got cut during tryouts.

"It's tough when some guys might have problems with the coach, who happens to be your dad," he said. "You just gotta try to keep playin' and you can't worry about what people think."

Equal treatment

Some parents who coach their children tend to be harder on them, more demanding. Others show favoritism. But fairness is crucial, Len Bone said.

"I really try to treat Kegan and Grady just like the other guys that play," he said. " ... I don't know any other way to really do it."

Susan Bone, Len's wife and mom of the two boys, said Len's approach works well and prevents conflicts that can spring up when parents coach their kids. The boys' positive attitudes have also helped, she said: "(Grady and Kegan) respect their dad and they respect his decisions. And they want whatever's helping the team."

Walt Bone, Len's dad, coached hoops at Queen Anne and Nathan Hale high schools. Walt, who intentionally did not coach his sons, said he's happy to see the scenario work for Len, Kegan and Grady. "There can be good and bad," Walt said. "I think it's worked pretty well for them the way they've handled it."

Dennis Kloke is in a spot similar to Len Bone. As coach of the Stanwood High girls basketball team, Kloke coaches his daughter, senior guard Rachele Kloke. But unlike Bone, who coached Grady in sixth grade and 12th grade and is coaching Kegan at Snohomish for the first time, Dennis Kloke has coached his daughter since fifth grade.

Another difference: Rachele Kloke is Stanwood's best player. The versatile 5-11 guard averages 20.5 points per game and has led the Spartans in scoring since she joined the varsity team as a freshman.

Coach Kloke said he tries to spread out scoring opportunities, but he also knows that putting the ball in his daughter's hands helps the team. "At certain points you have to utilize your players' strengths. Rachele happens to be very talented," he said.

"It is tough at times for (players' families) and for kids on the team to understand why Rachele does what she does," coach Kloke added.

Rachele, a three-time team captain based on player voting, said occasional friction among teammates is inevitable. But, "If you have good relationships with them and you don't act like you're the best player ... then they're gonna like you on and off the floor," she said.

Dennis Kloke, who previously coached a son at Anacortes High, said he walks a fine line as a coach/dad at Stanwood, but he keeps his priorities straight.

"The reason I'm here is not because (Rachele) plays basketball," he said. "I'm trying to instill a program of teaching fundamental skills (to the entire team)."

Off the court

It's easy for sports to spill over into home life. Dennis Kloke said it took him two years to learn how to leave basketball on the court.

"And I still fight with that one," he said.

Coach Kloke said he learned by listening to his daughter, gauging her desire for off-court input. Sure, they still talk strategy, shoot around together or recap details after a game, but Rachele said her life is balanced, filled with friends and other interests.

"He never made me go out and (work on basketball)," she said. "He understood that (the interest) needed to come from me."

Basketball is a family passion, but it's just a slice of the big picture.

"When we're off the court, what is planned for the family is what we do, and we don't do (basketball)," Dennis Kloke said. "I have learned in my coaching career that to stay sane you've got to do some other things instead of 24 hours of basketball."

End of an era

For coaches Bone and Kloke, this season is likely the last time they'll coach their kids.

Rachele Kloke said playing for her dad has always been comforting. But over the summer she played for a different coach on a select team. The experience helped her learn about herself and prepare for the future, which she hopes will include a shot at playing in college.

Coach Bone, whose Snohomish team is off to a 5-0 start, said it's strange to think that his days of coaching Kegan are melting away.

"Maybe I'll go through a mid-life crisis at the end of the year," he said, smiling.

True, Kegan has just a few more months to play for his dad. But both Kegan and Grady agreed that the additional bond they developed with their dad through basketball is strong. It's not likely to end any time soon.

Said Kegan of playing for Len, "I wouldn't want it to be anything else. He's a good coach and he's a good dad."