Eight Baker University students have taken on the challenge of coaching elementary level boys’ basketball teams.

Seniors Paul Eltschinger, Morgan James and Jordan Toothaker and junior Andy Kelley are all returning coaches. This year their fifth and sixth grade team, the Doritos Locos Tacos, has a winning record of 4-1.

“We’ve kind of solidified how we run practices this year and our kids actually understand basketball a little bit more,” Eltschinger said.

Seniors David Todd and Jacob Draisey are also coaching a team. The Tornadoes, their third and fourth grade boys, are having a more trouble getting their season started.

“We got a team that needed a little more work than some other ones, so what we work on is a lot of little things,” Todd said. “Things just like being able to jump, stop and control yourself. We’ve improved quite a bit but it’s still just the little things that we need to work on.”

Eltschinger’s and Todd’s teams will never play each other because they are different age groups, but senior Luke Harshfield and freshman Grant Grego are also coaching a third and fourth grade team that played Todd’s team last week.

“It was kind of hard to stay serious during the game because we had built it up all week,” Todd said. “It ended up being fun, though, especially because we beat them.”

The parents of the boys on these teams seem to have various reactions to college students coaching their sons.

Kevin Garber has a son on Eltschinger’s team and one on Todd’s team.

“I think the kids respond to them really well,” Garber said. “It’s great that the kids get to interact with younger adults, but at the same time I think it’s a great learning experience for these young coaches to be around the older coaches.”

While Garber appreciates the work the Baker men do for his sons, Harshfield said some parents didn’t seem quite so sure.

“At first we got some funny looks from the parents because we didn’t have very structured practices, but I think more recently they’re starting to like us,” Harshfield said.

Eltschinger and his fellow Doritos Locos Tacos coaches continue to wear black suits to each of their games and have gotten very good reactions from the parents.

“The parents see that we’re not just there screwing around but actually teaching their kids basketball and also discipline,” Eltschinger said. “I think at first they all saw the suits and thought it was a joke but we take it very seriously and I think the kids like that their coaches look just like professional college coaches.”

While Eltschinger and many of the other men are seniors this year, they hope their fellow Baker students will continue the tradition to coach in the coming years.