January 26, 2005: Defeated Catawba Valley Community College. My parents came to the game! It was like old times. We are now 8–0 Post Grandpa Era. This team has really come together. It is a totally different attitude from early in the season. John Mark Brooks, the sports editor for the Lincoln Times, called me today. He conducted an interview with me for an upcoming article. I explained to him that this COMEBACK was a miracle, a gift from God. My hope is that just one person will read the article and be influenced in a positive manner. I really believe this was God’s reason for allowing me to complete this comeback.
January 28, 2005: The article came out and it was great. There was a quarter page picture of Jeremy and me. I am very pleased with the article and think John did a great job of conveying the right message. The article was titled “Caldwell Cobras Truly a Family Affair.” John wrote,
This wasn’t the way Jeff Coffey thought his life would turn out. His dream was to play professional basketball, but through a series of events and divine intervention, his plan changed. Now a far greater dream is being realized at Caldwell Community College. Jeff and his son Jeremy, a 2002 graduate from Bandy’s High School, play on the Cobras, which are the No. 12 team in the country with a 15–9 record. At 6’4” in 1977, with gifted athleticism and a feathery touch, Jeff racked up accolades as easily as he racked up points. He was a High School All-America as a senior on a team that included ”Big Game” James Worthy, then at Ashbrook, and Sleepy Floyd at Hunter Huss. A First Team All-Gaston Gazette selection and All-Southern District 7 nod followed for Jeff who was Mustang Co-MVP with Lewis ”Re-C” Lowery, one of his best friends. Coffey averaged 17.3 points per game for his prep career. As a senior, he averaged a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Wake Forest and NC State recruited him, but at the time the requirement was having two foreign languages. Coffey did not have those, so he chose to attend Caldwell where he averaged 21 points per game as a freshman. After such a successful freshmen season, he left the school and tried his hand at the NBA. Coffey bounced around pro-am leagues and was invited to work out for the Washington Bullets NBA team in 1982. Still with the desire to play basketball he attempted to make the CBA and World Basketball League in 1988. Jeremy, Jeff’s twenty-year-old son, was recruited by Dartmouth and Virginia Tech, but a torn ACL scared some recruiters off. As a result he decided to sign with Caldwell. Jeff was enrolled in four classes at the time of his son’s signing. He would often work out with the team just to scratch his basketball itch. That’s when opportunity and fate met. Caldwell lost three players for failing to meet Caldwell’s academic requirements. Cobra’s head coach Bill Payne asked Jeff if he was ready to join the team. “I told him sure,” Jeff said. He’s not the same player he was in 1978 but Jeff is averaging two points and two rebounds per game. More important are his intangibles, such as knowledge of the game and leadership. Since Jeff joined the team at Christmas break, Caldwell has gone 8–0, having started the season at 7–9. Jeremy believes the win streak is no coincidence. “He brings major leadership. He’s always vocal, always gets us pumped. Just him being on the floor; he really doesn’t have to say anything. He’s just a natural-born leader.” Wednesday night, Pat and C.E., Jeff’s parents and Jeremy’s grandparents, and wife Anna watched Jeff and Jeremy play against Catawba Valley, whom they beat 101–78. “It was, in a way, a thrill just to have them there. It was sort of sad, because I couldn’t do the things that I used to do,” Jeff said. Even though his son is just a shadow, on the court, of what he once was, his father was proud nonetheless. “I think it’s wonderful. Jeff has always been such a basketball fanatic and he just can’t give the sport up. He’s played in the industrial leagues the last few years, so this was his opportunity to go back and play organized ball,” C.E. said. “It’s totally different, but I tell you what … there is nothing like playing on the same team as your son,” Jeff said. His son agrees. “It’s fun and I never thought I would ever be able to play on the same team with my dad. It’s a new experience and I like it,” said Jeremy, who averages three points a game, two rebounds and two assists. Some young men would be embarrassed by their dad suiting up beside them, but not Jeremy. “I welcomed it with open arms. Maybe some kids would have a problem with it, but I thought it was awesome. Especially being on the same court at the same time, passing each other the ball,” he said. Jeremy views it as a blessing and knows just h
