How to make friends, create school rivalry

Today marks the end of a golden era in Tri-parish-area volleyball. Unless they meet again in the Division 5-I playoffs, this will be the last time Terrebonne Lady Tigers’ coach Chip Didier and H.L. Bourgeois Lady Braves’ coach Peter Verret III duel for district supremacy.

Didier, a two-time state high school volleyball champion coach, is retiring at the end of this school year.

The coaches have combined for over 1,100 victories (655 for Didier and 461 for Verret as of Monday). None are more thrilling then when it comes at the other’s expense.

But more importantly, they have managed to maintain a great friendship and raise the quality of volleyball played in the Bayou Region while still producing one of the most intense high school sports rivalries in Louisiana.

“Last year, several coaches from the New Orleans area came to scout us and Terrebonne because they might have to play us in the playoffs,” recalled Verret, 47. “They couldn’t believe the atmosphere. I got several e-mails about what a great rivalry it was, how they wished people in the state could see volleyball like this, how great of a match it was. It’s a compliment to what we do with our kids and the competitive volleyball we play in this area.”

“These players talk among themselves all the time. They try and outdo each other,” said Didier, 57. “So it’s a rivalry among the players. They get excited about these matches. You can throw out all the records. It doesn’t matter. Both teams are going to play as hard as they can.”

The rivalry began in 1998 when Didier, who had led Bourgeois to state titles in 1987 and 1989 and the state runner-up spot in 1992, took the head volleyball coach job at Terrebonne. Verret had replaced Didier as the Lady Braves’ coach after he left to coach at Nicholls State University in 1993.

However, the two have known each for over 25 years.

As a Nicholls physical education major in the mid-1980s, Verret had to observe volleyball for a class. His instructor recommended he go see two local coaches who would later become his friends in the sport – Didier, who coached at South Terrebonne at the time, and Sandy Fussell at Assumption High School.

“I went to observe him over there and he was very helpful, taught me a lot of things,” Verret said. “He started getting us interested in high school volleyball in this area.”

Didier moved to Bourgeois in 1985 after leading the Lady Gators to the state runner-up spot the previous year. Verret arrived at Bourgeois the following year after graduating from Nicholls.

The two became friends right away. Although Verret was (and still is) the head tennis coach, in 1988, he decided to offer his help to Didier whenever he needed it.

“I was never an assistant coach,” Verret said. “I would just go hit balls to the girls.”

Back then, South Terrebonne was Bourgeois’ main rival; then it became Assumption when the Lady Mustangs came to Gray and beat the Lady Braves on their home court for the 1992 state title.

When Didier left for a six-year stint with Nicholls and Verret replaced him as Bourgeois’ coach, the two remained tight, even teaming up to develop the local talent.

“He asked for some suggestions and I helped him a little bit,” Didier said. “He’s a real quick learner, and he took a lot of time to talk with other coaches and learn from them.

“In his first year, he had some pretty good players. I felt I left the team in good hands with him,” he continued. “We worked a lot together with the Bayou Bandits club team to improve volleyball in our area. He’s a big part of that as well.”

By the time Didier arrived at Terrebonne, Verret had built his own identity and winning tradition at Bourgeois.

Under Didier’s watch, the Terrebonne-Bourgeois battles have become some of the most competitive in the state.

With so much familiarity and intensity between the coaches and players, are their styles more similar or different?

The answer depends on who you ask.

“When we play against them, it’s like a mirror image,” Verret said. “We do a lot of the same things, run a lot of the same offenses and defenses. It’s like playing myself. I know what he’s going to do. We try and make adjustments during the game.”

“We do have some similarities, but for the most part, we have differing philosophies,” Didier countered. “I’m more of a realist. I believe in what I see. He has a good attitude about everything his players do. They feed off of that and he does a good job with that.”

One attribute both men admit to sharing is extreme competitiveness.

“We demand a lot out of our players and they have to be committed,” Didier said. “If they’re not committed, then they won’t last long in the programs.”

But the competitiveness never spills over into their friendship

The minute they walk into each other’s gym, they always sit and chat. Usually it’s not about the match, but other matters of common interest: fishing, hunting or power points.

“It’s just been a great camaraderie between us,” Verret said. “If I win, he’s very congratulatory and it’s vice versa. We find the positive points in our matches.

“When we played (Oct. 13, a three-game Terrebonne sweep), he was so complimentary,” he added. “He said, ‘Pete, you did a great job with the team. Hold your head up.’ We both know how important each victory is.”

With today’s game being the final regular season match and, if the cards have fallen right for both teams, the outright District 5-I title decision match, it adds more fuel to a rivalry that doesn’t need it. Terrebonne comes in at 34-3, 6-0 in district and Bourgeois is 16-9, 5-1 in district play.

No matter the outcome, both coaches admit the contest will be emotional for them.

“After 33 years, coaching this long, it’s special because we’re playing Bourgeois,” he said. “It’s something I’m going to miss a great deal. I think we’re going to have a great match.”

“It’s hard when you’re old friends and the rivalry has been so deep for so long,” Verret said. “I know he’s going out and I want him to be successful in his final year, but I have a job to do. I have to coach. We’re certainly not going to give him the win.”

Didier believes the Terrebonne-Bourgeois rivalry will continue on after he retires because of the players. But it probably will be less intense without him and Verret going at each other.

Still, he sees benefits to his retirement. First, he no longer will be the old coach on the sidelines. Second, he and Verret may finally get to go hunting together.

“We both have hunting camps. We like to fish. But every time we try to get together, we’ve always had some type of conflict,” Didier said. “Hopefully, when he gets to that point where he’s had enough and wants to retire, we’ll go together. Not a problem.”

Over the past 11 years, the H.L. Bourgeois-Terrebonne volleyball rivalry has become one the fiercest high school battles in Louisiana, but coach Peter Verret III (left) and coach Chip Didier have maintained a long-lasting friendship. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF