I've known Bryan and John Drafts all their lives. Both were terrific multi-sport athletes at Lexington High School in my native Lexington, SC. We share an uncle, Arthur Mack, my late mother's brother, who is married to their mother's sister, Annie Laurie.

There are many reasons why the Drafts brothers were such remarkable people. They lost their father at a very early age so Uncle Bubba Arthur (Mack) became a surrogate father. In some ways, he was a surrogate to me as well, always supporting all of us in a way that only a father could do.

Arthur Mack had no sons of his own so my own brothers and the Drafts boys became his adopted sons. I'm sure the way he mentored Brian and John was much the same way he mentored my brothers and me.

But the father figures in the Drafts' boys lives had multiple faces. There were many others--their athletic coaches over the years, just to name a some. Coach James Wymon Ingram was one who touched their lives. He taught them the power of discipline.

Coach Bob Whitehead was another, helping them to develop a keen sense of competitiveness in the athletic vineyards.

Coach Carl Stegall was still another. I recall he taught me how to kick a football, and his advice was simple. Pick a spot on the football, hit it squarely, keep your head down and follow through. The crowd will let you know if it went through the goal posts. That's pretty good advice in life as well-- keep your head down and follow-through!

Coach Carl Stegall helped put the basketball program on the map at Lexington High School, where both Drafts' brothers excelled as All-State standouts, each earning scholarships to college. He mentored another young coach by the name of Ken Long, who ultimately coached both Drafts boys to stardom.

Almost all these great coaches have gone on to their greater reward, save Bob Whitehead, who is now retired. Coach Ken Long never played a minute of basketball in his life but he probably knew more "book basketball" than any man I ever covered in my nearly forty years as a journalist.

Ken Long was not a gifted athlete. However, he was a gifted student of athletics and perhaps that's the grandest gift he gave to both Drafts brothers. Now a coach and Athletic Director, John Drafts amassed 343 victories in his 27 years of basketball coaching excellence, including four region titles (2001, 2005, 2009, 2010), Region 8-AAA Coach of the Year (2009, 2010) and 2009 Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet All-Area boys basketball Coach of the Year.

As much as anyone, Ken Long deserves the lion's share of the credit for any successes John enjoyed on the hardwood. And while John had athletic gifts that Ken Long never possessed, he also had the aptitude of being a student of the game, which he taught so well to his players.

One of his star athletes, Brent Evans was a two-time all-state selection who played three years under Drafts. "He always kept us focused and in line, and my basketball IQ has gone up a whole lot since I started playing for him," stated Evans. "He helps you see the game in a whole different way."

Evans could just as easily have been speaking to the grave site of Ken Long or any of the other coaches that impacted the lives of the Drafts' brothers. John Drafts would be the first to tell you the influence that all these mentors had on his life.

Of all the people who have impacted the lives of Brian and John Drafts, perhaps the most important person was his late mother, Tat Drafts, who single-handedly raised both boys after the death of their father. Tat Drafts didn't just raise her own sons; she helped raised mine as well. She was as much a mother to my three sons, Cory, Jason and Christopher, as their own mother, Christine.

To make ends meet, Tat worked part time for our family as what would be called a "nanny" today. To my boys she was very simply Aunt Tat. My three sons have gone on to become National Champion weightlifters. Jason is a microbiologist for the Food and Drug Administration in Tampa, FL. Cory is a science and biology teacher in addition to being a football and weightlifting coach at St. Cloud High School. Christopher is a Registered Nurse at an Orlando Emergency Room. Aunt Tat had as much of an impact on their lives as her own sons, and it reflects in all of what the Drafts and the Aun boys have gone on to accomplish in their lives.

This was supposed to be a tribute to the humble and kind Coach John Drafts. Instead, it has become a tribute to all who have had a hand in his life. He has gone on to help others the way all his mentors helped him. He literally has passed the baton, as they say in track and field. Is there a greater metaphor to describe what Coach John Drafts has accomplished in his life?