Sometimes, longtime referees will chuckle when they see Corey Jenkins because he’s just like his father.

Terry Jenkins was a vocal, hard-nosed coach at Polo and Hiawatha High Schools throughout the ’80s and ’90s, and Corey is the same way.

At Genoa-Kingston’s game against Indian Creek 12 days ago, Jenkins was particularly vocal. His team scored just two points in the first seven minutes of the 52-41, turnover-laden loss, and spectators in the vicinity of the Indian Creek gym knew about Jenkins’ displeasure.

“Is he always like that?” a chuckling fan from Indian Creek asked me.

Jenkins responded to vocal coaches when he was a player, and that’s what he subscribes to as a coach, especially this year.

“We’ve tried both approaches with this team,” Jenkins said. “Sometimes we’ve been more laid back and just let them play. But we’ve found out that so far this season we’ve had more success when we’re energized ourselves.”

It takes a particular type of team and a particular type of coach to respond to a critical style. Jenkins thinks he has that team.

“We know which kids can kind of handle it and which kids you’ve kind of got to coddle a little bit,” Jenkins said.

Indian Creek coach Joe Piekarz is the polar opposite.

Piekarz is laid back. He learned to be that way playing when he was an All-MAC pitcher at Northern Illinois under coach Ed Mathey.

“I try to be as positive as possible to get the most out of each of my players,” Piekarz said.  “I feel like if players are scared to make a mistake in the game, that doesn’t maximize their performance. I don’t think yelling and screaming on the sideline is the best way to maximize each player’s performance.”

Just because coaches are different, though, doesn’t mean they dismiss each other’s philosophies.

Hinckley Big Rock girls basketball coach Greg Burks is by no means an intimidating coach. But Burks coached under Larry “Doc” Peppers, a legendary coach who started the H-BR girls program and coached it for 30 years.

“If there’s two more opposite guys in the world than me and him, I’d like to see who they are,” Burks said.