The first official day of practice on Monday could not come fast enough for most high school basketball teams around the state.

Not for Lou Rideaux.

If given the opportunity, the Tremper interim boys basketball coach would have used his allotment of timeouts in the weeks leading up to the start of tryouts.

Hired in the final week of September when John Wilhelmson unexpectedly stepped down three weeks earlier, the 57-year-old Rideaux had to hit the ground running to prepare for the upcoming season.

Taking a quick break from a drill on Monday, Rideaux was asked about the biggest adjustment since he was put in charge of the Tremper program a little more than one month ago.

“This is not going to sound good ... Everything,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Yes, I anticipated it was a lot of responsibility. I feel like Obama sometimes because there are just so many things. There’s so much that we have to do in a short time.”

Early bird practice

Rideaux, a Tremper math teacher, held two practices for 24 potential players on Monday with the first one getting under way at 5:30 a.m. After meeting again on Monday night, the players have another bright-and-early practice 5:30 a.m. today.

No stranger to the program, Rideaux spent five seasons coaching Tremper’s freshmen and sophomore teams under Wilhelmson. He also spent 18 years at Racine St. Catherine’s in a variety of coaching capacities.

A different feel

Still, some returning players found it strange to not have Wilhelmson putting them through their paces.

“It is a lot different,” senior guard Sam Savaglio said. “He coached me for three years.”

Senior guard Ruben Williams added: “Man, yeah. Real weird.”

Rideaux’s top assistant coach will be longtime St. Joseph coach Rocky Tirabassi. Ryan Irish is the head sophomore coach, while Sean McKim is the head freshman coach. Andy Atkins, a sophomore assistant, and J.C. Benjamin, a volunteer assistant, round out the staff.

As for how Rideaux puts his stamp on the program, that remains to be seen.

“He really pays attention to detail and makes sure we do the right thing,” Savaglio said. “I’m looking forward to the season.

“We’ve got really good chemistry. I’ve known these guys forever. All of these guys are really coachable and they want to get better.”

Known as a “nice guy,” Rideaux claims he can get fiery on the bench.

“I may not stomp around like John, but I’ll be getting up when it matters,” he said. “I’ve calmed down the last few years. My intention is no profanity and be a lot more laid back. I will work officials, but I hope to do it in a manner that’s acceptable to everybody.

“I’ll always shoot from the hip and keep it real.”