10:59 PM CST on Wednesday, March 8, 2006

By TODD WILLS / Staff Writer

PLANO – Forward Joseph Fulce calls coach Tom Inman "The Godfather" of the Plano basketball team. And with the coach, it all starts with the message.

"He doesn't tell you what you want to hear," Fulce said. "He tells you what you need to learn."
It is an offer Inman's players can't refuse. Everyone will have a chance to contribute if he puts in the work. Everyone will be committed to defense. Everyone will be prepared for college basketball, if that's his next destination.

"What he has done is get everyone on the same page," Fulce said.

Inman's "family" approach, as he likes to say, has served Plano well in the playoffs. Plano has won four straight games, capped by Saturday's 60-45 comeback victory over El Paso Montwood, to reach the UIL state tournament for the first time since 1980. Plano, which experienced injuries and seven early losses, has 17 victories in its last 18 games.

Plano has done it Inman's way.

"No excuses," said Inman, when asked for his stamp on the team. "I hope I bring a toughness, a refusal to buy into excuses. And confidence."

At no point did Plano play with more confidence than Saturday's regional final. Inman called a timeout after Montwood hit its fourth 3-pointer in nine minutes to go up, 19-6. The calm on the Plano bench was noticeable.

And then Inman made a crucial coaching decision. He ditched the matchup zone he thought would work best against Montwood and went to man-to-man defense.

Oh, and he switched defenses because guard John Roberson suggested it. Inman wanted to stay in the zone, feeling Montwood's tired legs would make them go cold from the outside. He very well might have been right.

But his players persuaded him to switch. And he listened, as he sometimes does.

"It's never disruptive," Inman said. "I'd be stupid not to listen to them."

Inman's players know they can speak up and sometimes be heard. Plano went on a 15-0 run to take a brief lead before halftime. Defense was the spark as Plano forced three straight turnovers.

"It shows he's not into pride," Roberson said. "He wants our input because we're out there playing. He's not one to say, 'We're doing it my way.' "

Make no mistake; this is Inman's team. Plano takes on the emotional personality of its coach and feeds off his sideline commentary. And the players show up when Inman invites them for a team breakfast at a local restaurant.

Inman's rise is an interesting one. After graduating with a business degree from Illinois, Inman moved to Dallas and tried bartending and then real estate.

He got his first job as a volunteer assistant at South Oak Cliff and went to the UIL state tournament with SOC in 1988 and '89. He then got a job at Shepton High School in Plano and was eventually hired as Stan Hicks' assistant at Plano 12 years ago.

Inman is in his seventh season as head coach at Plano and has five consecutive playoff appearances. Inman and Plano are two victories from a historic moment – the long-time football powerhouse's first state basketball championship.

"We're very confident," Inman said, "And I think they play like that."