Former Lompoc basketball coach, teacher and athletic director Bryan Ayer was a very intense guy.

With his elbow in one hand and his other hand on his chin, Ayer patrolled the sidelines of Paisola Pavilion like a cougar ready to pounce.

He demanded respect and hard work from his players and students — but most of all he deserved the respect he got because of his hard work.

And even after he was diagnosed with cancer, he fought bravely for three years and never stopped working. He passed away at the age of 39 in April of 2006, but his memory will never die at a school that adopted him as one of their own.

Just months before Ayer lost his battle with cancer, the Board of Education of the Lompoc Unified School District adopted a proposal to name the gym floor at Lompoc High’s Paisola Pavilion after Ayer.

He was able to attend the ceremonies and was touched by the gesture after not being sure about the honor.

“I ran that by him first,” explained Tom Blanco, Lompoc’s athletic trainer for the past 29 years. “I asked him how he felt about having the gym named after him and he said, ‘let me think about that.’

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“After about an hour or two he finally said it would be okay if we did that. He first thought about the implications — I know it meant a lot to his family and it meant a lot to him.”

And his legacy now lives on in another form at Lompoc. The girls basketball tournament played on the floor with his name is now called the Bryan Ayer Classic. A fitting tribute to the man who started the tourney when he was coach of the girls team for two and a half years.

“It was Bryan’s tournament,” said current girl’s coach Claudia Terrones. “It was called the Lompoc Tournament before that and because of the fact they named it Bryan Ayer Court, we thought it would be a good idea to call it the Bryan Ayer Classic.”

The 3rd Annual Bryan Ayer Classic begins today at 3 p.m. and will feature Cabrillo, Santa Ynez, Pioneer Valley, Santa Barbara, Dos Pueblos, Oceanview out of Huntington Beach, defending champion Pinole Valley from the Bay Area and the host Braves.

It runs through Saturday with the final game at 3:30 p.m. featuring Dos Pueblos and Lompoc.

“There were always one or two teams from out of the area that came in and you gave then that hometown hospitality,” Terrones said. “After the last game he always had fruit trays, pizza and a drink for them before they left.

“So we still do that tradition of feeding the kids after their last game on Saturday. It varies — now we have fried chicken or pizza but we always have the fruit tray. That was one thing he always had.”

Ayer coached the boys program from 1990 through 1999, leading his team to seven league championships — including five in a row and nine CIF playoff appearances. His 1995-96 team were 23-0 before falling in the quarterfinals. For two-and-a-half years he coached the girls squad, winning 16 games in 2001-02.

Overall Ayer won more than 170 games at Lompoc and even found time to coach golf. He headed up the athletic department as the AD from 1995 to 2000. Oh yes, and he taught science and physical education until 2003.

“We worked closely,” said Blanco, one of Ayer’s best friend. “He was my supervisor as the athletic director and I was his supervisor when he became a PE teacher when I was the department chair.

“But those titles didn’t mean anything — we were friends, our families were friends and my wife baby-sat their kids. We were close, we laughed, fought and argued like all friends do.”

Blanco was always impressed by Ayer’s work ethic.

“His desire to win,” he answered when asked what stood out. “He coached a lot of great athletes, but he brought out a lot from those guys. The guys were in great shape and they played hard from start to finish.”

And his kids learned from his tough practices and game management.

“They learned that if they do what coach says — they will win. Do it their way — they lose,” Blanco continued. “A lot of coaches in this town were coached by Bryan.”

Even as intense as Ayer was on the basketball court, he also had a tender side.

“He had a passion as a coach,” Terrones said. “If you saw him during practice or at a game then afterwards in school — it was two totally different people. A Dr. Jekyl, Mr. Hyde as I liked to call it.”

Blanco had an illustration of the soft side of Bryan Ayer.

“He was able to let his hair down,” he said. “We had a little dinner thing going. He was a gourmet chef.”

And his manner never changed even during the time of his illness.

“He never blamed anybody,” Blanco explained. “A reporter once asked him, ‘do you ever wonder why me,’ and his answer was ‘why not me.”

The work ethic never left.

“I never really saw the hurting part,” said Terrones. “What I saw was still the passionate person that was still going to be here at work at 8 a.m. and not leave until he was done.”

Athletic secretary Carrie Guerra echoed Terrones.

“He never let his chair or sickness get in the way of him being here,” she said. “I was his Thursday pickup girl, so I learned to take apart the wheelchair and put it in my car.

“He never lost his sense of humor about that — he timed me from the time I first started picking him up. He made it feel comfortable because it was obviously an uncomfortable situation for me to start with.”

And it is the passion that Ayer lived his life with that was inspiring.

“The one thing that will be remembered about Bryan Ayer,” Terrones said, “was that he really cared for the school — it wasn’t just basketball, his love for athletics in general was something that will never be replaced, but will live on. Also his passion for teaching.”

Which is why Bryan Ayer Court and the Bryan Ayer Classic are appropriate.

“It was a great thing for Claudia to do for Bryan and the Ayer family,” Blanco said. “With that and the name on the gym, what we hope to do is keep Bryan’s memory alive and remember what he brought to our athletic program and what he gave to his students.”

Here is the schedule for today’s first round action: 3 p.m. — Cabrillo vs. Dos Pueblos; 4:30 p.m. — Santa Ynez vs. Santa Barbara; 6 p.m. — Pinole Valley vs. Oceanview; 7:30 p.m. — Lompoc vs. Pioneer Valley.

December 04, 2008