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September 11, 2003Givens back at CentralHarvey may be groomed to assume coaching dutiesByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Chris Givens' retirement was short-lived. The Traverse City Central hockey coach, who resigned to spend more time with his family this summer after eight years as head coach and 11 years on staff, will be back for the 2003-04 season. "It's kind of a weird deal how it all went down," said Givens, who has a 105-80-10 career record with the Trojans. "John (Sonnemann, Central's athletic director) had no applications, and then one or two, and one guy bailed out, so I think he was getting nervous about it. "I talked to (former Trojans great) Scott Harvey about it, and he said he was interested, but not really comfortable being the head coach. That led to another conversation with John, and I brought up the possibility of coming back for another year." Sonnemann had also wondered about another go-round for Givens. "He said, 'It's kind of funny that you bring that up, because I wasn't sure if I was allowed to approach you about it,' " Givens explained. "He knew the concerns I had about family time and he told me there'd be some flexibility - that there wouldn't be many sacrifices." Sonnemann is allowed to say very little about the process until the entire staff is in place, but a series of interviews on Wednesday is likely to land Harvey an assistant coaching job. "We're very glad that Chris decided to come back," Sonnemann said. "At this point, that's about all I can say." The unspoken hope is that Harvey acclimates himself enough to assume head coaching duties in 2004-05. "I think my role this year will be to learn from a great coach in Chris," said Harvey, who graduated from Traverse City in 1994 as the school's second all-time leading scorer. "As far as next year goes, nothing is set in stone. Certainly I'd be interested in something like that, as Chris has indicated he'd like to coach just one more season, but that's down the road." Harvey, a Traverse City attorney and former No. 1 draft pick of the NAHL's Cleveland Jr. Barons, has coached youth hockey, but says there's more to heading up a high school program than just strategy. "I think I'm pretty comfortable with the Xs and Os, but working with Chris and seeing how he handles the kids, and all the off-ice administrative duties will be very beneficial for me." One of the main reasons Givens cited for leaving the bench in June was that his son Cam was beginning his squirt-level travel hockey career and he wanted to be around to see it. "You know, I looked at Cam's schedule - and it's not a typical travel schedule - and there really aren't many conflicts," said Givens, who guided the Trojans to a 19-5-1 mark and school record for victories last season. "We have only eight road games on our schedule and some are to places like Cadillac and Gaylord - I looked at the big picture and the potential is there not to miss much at all." Givens said that his initial retirement wasn't the freeing experience he had envisioned. "The reaction from the community was a little strange," he explained. "A lot of people told me they respected the decision, but that they were sorry to see me go - and a lot of those people I didn't even know or I didn't even know they followed Central hockey. "Really, it was a strange feeling until this opportunity came along, and I'm grateful to John for giving me another opportunity." Harvey, who played for head coach Jude Cummings during his days with the Trojans, says he and Givens have a similar approach to the game. "I think we're pretty much on the same page," he said. "He was an assistant coach when I was in high school, and I know he does a great job." Ex-Trojan standouts Chad Fournier and Todd Spaulding are also expected to be back as assistant coaches with Central next year, although neither showed an interest in becoming head coach. Both are already head coaches at the youth level. "I think it's great when former players come back and want to be around," Givens said. "I think it says something about the program."
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