Impressing your coach is one thing. Looking good in the eyes of your older brother is an entirely different concept.
For Tony Yacovetta, it’s one and the same.
The George Washington sophomore pitcher works under the tutelage of his brother, Jon Yacovetta, who took over the Patriots last season. At 26, Jon is one of the youngest head coaches in the Class 5A circuit, but so far, the match has been a solid one.
The Patriots are one of the top teams in the Denver Prep League (11-6 overall, 5-1 in league entering Friday) and Tony has had a breakout season on the mound and with the bat.
"It’s been really good," Tony Yacovetta said. "I wasn’t sure how it’d be at first, but he knows what’s best for me. He’s been a real big inspiration in my life."
While a father-son combination is fairly prevalent, a brother-brother, coach-player arrangement is far less common in high school sports. Although they never knew at the time, this one has been in the works for awhile.
Jon Yacovetta played high school ball at Thomas Jefferson, one of George Washington’s league rivals, and youthful Tony often joined the team in the dugout. After graduation, Jon went on to the University of Kansas – as a student only – but spent a large part of his time back in Colorado watching Tony’s games.
"When he was growing up, something I always loved doing was working with him in the backyard," Tony Yacovetta said. "I always thought what a thrill it would be for me to be able to be his coach in high school. I didn’t ever occur to me that it would be a realistic possibility."
It is as real as Tony Yacovetta’s .404 average with two home runs and 19 RBI, and his 4-4 pitching record which includes a solid 4.07 ERA and a 10-inning complete-game win against Abraham Lincoln.
"He’s so good and he’s so coachable that it’s just been easy for me to sit back and watch him develop as a young man," Jon Yacovetta said. "Sometimes I feel like I’m watching more as his brother than his coach. All this has done is guarantee that I get to see his every game."
Don’t get the idea that the relationship interferes with the program, because, although the two are close, there’s no nepotism involved.
"When I’m on the field he’s my coach," Tony Yacovetta said. "Off the field he’s my brother, but on the field I do what he says. If he gets pissed, I’ll run or do whatever he tells me to."
When Jon Yacovetta was a senior at Thomas Jefferson in 2002, Tory Humphrey was a first-year coach of the Spartans. Now still in charge, Humphrey has coached twice against his former player (going 1-1).
"He’s the first player of mine to go on to be a head coach," Humphrey said. "That makes me feel old."
At the same time, Humphrey couldn’t say that he was abundantly surprised to see his protégé on the opposite bench.
"In the dugout he’d always talk strategy," Humphrey said. "You could tell his thought process about baseball was much farther along than most high school kids."
Eight years later, Yacovetta’s younger brother is much farther along than most underclassmen.
"As a coach, you couldn’t expect more out of a sophomore," Jon Yacovetta said. "It’s just special that I get to be here and see it every day."
