Chemistry on the court

COEUR d'ALENE - Senior post Tony Naccarato and sophomore guard-forward Joey Naccarato are the top two scorers and rebounders for the Coeur d'Alene High boys basketball team, complementing each other quite well during each of the past two seasons.

But when the brothers have played against each other at their home in Coeur d'Alene, watch out.

"We have a lot of backyard basketball games," said Tony, an 18-year-old post player and a four-year varsity player. "If it doesn't end up in a fistfight, it's a bonus. We haven't played in a while, but I usually get the best of him. Mom's got to come out and split up a fight. We have a really tightknit family. We have a little sister, Olivia, who's 9, she likes basketball and she's just as much into it as we are. She runs the house."

The brothers were born and raised in Coeur d'Alene, while their father and varsity assistant coach, John Naccarato, grew up in Priest River, where he played boys basketball at Priest River High from 1982-86. During his senior year, he averaged 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game and was an all-Intermountain League player.

"I just go wherever I'm needed," Joey said. "I can help bring the ball up the court or rebound, whatever the team needs from me. Tony does the dirty work."

"I'm the tallest kid on the team," the 6-foot-5 Tony said. "So that's how the dice rolled, I play that post."

John has worked the past several years as an insurance agent with ISU Insurance Services Haddock and Associates and his wife, Gretchen, is a mobile marketing partner at iShoutOut. Both businesses are located in Coeur d'Alene. She played basketball and volleyball for Greenleaf Friends Academy, a class A-4 (now 1A Division II) school 7 miles west of Caldwell.

Joey, a 16-year-old guard-forward who's second on the Vikings with 12.3 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game to Tony's 12.7 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game, said Tony wins those backyard games a slight majority of the time.

Joey said his father has always been a tough customer when it comes to coaching, especially during AAU season.

"He's pretty strict," Joey said. "If you weren't working your hardest, he'd get on you or make you run lines or occasionally, he'd kick you out of practice. No excuses. Tony's gotten kicked out a few times. With our high school team, he makes sure we're focused and disciplined."

"Whenever we'd play basketball, he'd push us to be the best we could be," Tony said. "He said don't do it if you're going to do it mediocre."

John Naccarato was a 6-foot-1 player who played both post and wing at Priest River. He was shorter than his boys are now. Tony is listed at 6-5 and 207 pounds, and Joey is 6-3, 205.

John moved from Priest River to Moscow as he attended the University of Idaho. In 1996, Gretchen and he moved to Coeur d'Alene for a job opportunity at a satellite agency of ISU Haddock, and shortly after he earned his master's in public administration.

"I've always preached hard work as a coach," John said. "Hard work beats talent because talent doesn't work hard. I can't be any prouder of them. One of the best compliments I've received from people is how they enjoy watching my boys because they play hard and have the right attitude. The problem I'm having as a coach is I tell them they can always do something better. My wife tells me to reward them for doing something well. They have been productive and they have been very consistent."

Of course, both brothers have enjoyed having the other on the team, along with father John, who has coached with second-year Coeur d'Alene High boys coach Kurt Lundblad for seven years.

"He (dad) coached Tony's AAU team and Lundy (Lundblad) coached my AAU team," Joey said. "So it's kind of cool. Now all of us (Tony, Joey, Brody Lundblad, Elliott Sparks, Devin Kluss and Colby Daniels) are doing it together for one last time. We've been in the Best of the West tournament in Seattle and we won the Spokane league once."

Kurt Lundblad has coached the players at the varsity level for two years. He said both brothers have held 3.8 grade-point averages, and Joey is the class vice president. Tony has been actively involved as a state qualifier for DECA, a business club at Cd'A High, and as part of his church group at St. Pius X Catholic Church, has traveled to Tijuana to help build homes for needy people.

Both have also been known to go snowmobiling and camping and hang out on their parents' 300-acre ranch in Priest River.

"Their father and their mother both just do a wonderful job and it speaks by watching them at school and watching them in practice," Lundblad said. "Their work ethic is second to none in both of those arenas and it's paid off in the classroom and on the court."

Both brothers have been known to take over a game or two at times. In nonleague play on Dec. 6, Joey's best game was against Tumwater, located 66 miles southwest of Seattle, when he scored 26 points with 11 rebounds. On Dec. 20 against Flathead of Kalispell, Mont., Tony dominated with 29 points and 13 rebounds.

While he has been accepted to the University of Idaho, Tony has drawn athletic interest from the University of Dallas, which saw his game film on hudl.com, which is a sports video software and app for coaches and athletes.

In October 2013, Tony sprained his knee while playing on the Vikings' football team, then in November he dislocated his kneecap. Naccarato played as a backup defensive end behind Chase Blakley, who is now a redshirt freshman tight end for Boise State, and Matt James, who is now a redshirt freshman offensive tackle with the University of Washington.

"I made a lot of good memories," Tony said of his football days. "I didn't want to reinjure my knee, so I focused on basketball. I'm talking with the University of Dallas, I'll play travel ball and if I don't find something I like (scholarship offer), I'll just go to Idaho. I'm thinking about business, maybe go into the insurance industry, or education."

John laid down some of the realities of part of the business.

"Once I told them they have to buy the business, that I wouldn't just give it to them (several years from now), they learned," John said.

Joey said he's thinking about going into the psychology field or becoming a coach.

And focus Tony has, as a sophomore he was the 5A IEL newcomer of the year, then as a junior he was all-5A IEL.

"It's tough when you have siblings on the same team," Lundblad said. "They're always very competitive, but they always encourage each other. They've pushed each other throughout each others' careers. Education is a real big part of what Tony likes to do. He's had an incredible year. They're both in the top 5 percent of their classes and they work really hard. Those two have stepped up their leadership, after we were missing three seniors. We didn't plan on having such a young team. Devin Kluss had a torn meniscus at the beginning of the season, Cole Williams got hurt and (pitcher and post) Michael Hicks decided he wanted to focus on baseball, after receiving a scholarship offer (to play at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz.)."

So count the Naccarato brothers in for consistency, leadership, being standout students and active teens.

Just don't get in the middle of those fistfights at their home. You've been fairly warned.