They called it “Bedroom Hoops.”
Byrnes basketball head coach Layne Fowler would be on his knees to keep the game fair.
Layne’s son, Colt, then a mere toddler, would come running into the room in just a diaper, but carrying his little toy inflatable basketball in his hands. He’d try to score on his dad in the goal that hung from the door.
“Goodness, man. Those were some fun times,” said Layne. “Those were the days.”
For Layne, the fingerprints of basketball have marked his sons' lives — both Colt and his older brother Will — from the very beginning. Only 13 years later, it’s not bedroom hoops and diapers anymore.
Gone are the days of Layne guarding — and coaching up — Colt with a Nerf basketball.
The stakes are just a little bit higher these days.
“I think I started taking basketball a little bit more seriously once I hit my ninth-grade year,” said Colt. “That’s when I’d say I started becoming more and more obsessed.”
Colt, now a junior in high school, is the star point guard of Byrnes High School’s basketball team. Last year’s 5-A Region 2 Player of the Year, Colt averaged 18 points and 11 assists per game — the latter stat good for top 10 in the nation.
His dad’s still right there in his corner. Layne is in his 16th year as the head coach at Byrnes. He’s had the privilege of coaching Will all the way through high school, and he’s in his third year coaching Colt as a Rebel.
“I’ve been absolutely blessed to coach both of my sons for most of their lives, from youth to high school,” said Layne. “Both my sons are far better players than I ever was.”
But he sees himself in Colt, especially. Colt’s competitive nature and passion for the game remind him of a younger Layne.
“Colt’s just so competitive. He loves the game more than almost anyone I’ve ever seen,” said Layne. “From a young age, he’s always been around basketball and always had a basketball in his hands.”
Coaching one’s son is far from an uncommon practice in high school sports, but in the case of Layne, it’s rarer for one’s son to double as the star of the team and one of the state’s elite players.
But Layne’s philosophy doesn’t waver when coaching Colt.
He makes sure of it.
“I coach Colt just as hard as I do all of the guys on the team,” said Layne. “They know, ‘Okay, Coach Fowler’s not about to let Colt off easy or let him off a practice if he’s feeling gimpy.’ They know that’s not who I am. That’s not how I operate. And that helps keep everything in line.
“They see how hard I coach Colt. They want to be coached that hard, too.”
But Layne knows his youngest son is special. On the court, it’s as if Colt’s mind moves a half-step quicker than his opponents. He senses the open pass before it’s even available. He contorts his body in ways that seem unrealistic to finish shots under the rim.
And there’s an undeniable swagger that Colt showcases every night. It’s been referred to as “irrational confidence” by Layne, but with every highlight-reel play Colt adds to his mixtape, the word “irrational” seems less and less fitting.
As a coach and as a father, that’s the part of Colt that Layne knows his job is to nurture — not to suppress.
“Steve Nash once made a comparison about playing basketball and riding a bike,” said Layne. “You’ve got a lot of guys who know how to ride a bike. But when you have someone who can pop wheelies and do incredible tricks at any given point, you don’t want to take that away.
“I’ve always seen that with Colt. He’s got a special gift with his court vision. I don’t want him to ever be afraid to show that.”
A SPITTING IMAGE
Ricky Hood III left the court on Tuesday night with a big smile on his face. It was a refreshing feeling, and something he hadn’t been able to experience much this year.
Greer took down Woodruff 74-59 in front of a raucous home crowd — the Jackets’ second win this season. Hood III had 14 points and several huge plays, including a thunderous dunk in the third quarter that sent the Greer student section into chaos.
“It felt good coming out here and playing as a team, and just keeping that energy high all game long,” said Hood III.
Hood III is in his first year at Greer after coming over from Westside. And he didn’t come to Greer alone.
His father, Ricky Hood Jr., is also in his first season with the Jackets as head coach. The father and son shared an embrace after the game.
Much like Fowler, Hood Jr. has been coaching his son since he was just a kid.
“My background is in the grassroots circuit, so I’ve been coaching Ricky there since he was young,” said Hood Jr. “He knows how to respond to me during the game because we’ve been doing this for such a long time.”
His philosophy in coaching Ricky, however, is unique.
“I’m Coach on the sideline, and I’m Dad on the sideline. A lot of people, I think, try and separate the two when coaching your kid,” said Hood Jr. “I just can’t. This is my son, at the end of the day. It’s hard to look at the spitting image of yourself running up and down the court every night, and be like, ‘That’s not my son, I’m just his coach right now.’ I’ve not been able to do that.”
Hood III appreciates his father’s approach to coaching, and he responds well on the court.
“It helps me be comfortable out there,” said Hood III. “When your dad is your coach, you can go out there and have that trust in each other because you’ve known him your whole life.”
The Hoods, however, have a motto that helps them separate basketball from family life after the final buzzer sounds.
“We always say, ‘Leave it in the car.’ We have a conversation usually about the game or about practice on the ride home, and then we leave it in the car,” said Hood Jr. “If something went wrong during a game, that doesn’t mean I need to bring that to the dinner table.”
PROUD FATHERS
On Friday, Layne and Colt will bring their Rebels into town to face off with the Hoods and Greer.
In all likelihood, both Colt and Ricky III will stuff the statsheets for their respective teams.
Layne and Ricky Jr., the coaches, will surely be proud of their players.
But Layne and Ricky Jr., the fathers? They’re much prouder of their children in other areas — specifically their toughness and their leadership.
“Colt’s grit, determination, and toughness are some of his most incredible qualities,” said Layne. “He always elevates himself when he comes up against a tough challenge. That will serve him well in his marriage when things get tough, and it will serve him well when he’s a father, and things get tough. I see that strength in him more than I see that in almost anyone else.”
“When I look at Ricky, I see a natural leader,” said Hood Jr. “He makes things easy on me with the way he talks to his teammates and lifts them. His leadership and his character are two things I can’t coach, and two things that make me the most proud to be his father.”
For more coverage of Greer-area athletics, follow @GreerNewsSports on X.
