Battle makes early coaching debut
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Turner Battle

Turner Battle should be playing professional basketball in Italy this winter but instead is roaming the Sweet Home basketball sidelines as a volunteer assistant coach.

Battle, the University at Buffalo's fourth all-time leading scorer (1,414 points), 2005 Mid-American Conference Player of the year, and an AP All-American, joins the Sweet Home staff this season while rehabbing a severely injured left elbow suffered in a pickup game in late August. The injury occurred while Battle was blocking a shot.

"(UB sophomore guard) Andy Robinson ran into my legs and I came down on my arm," Battle said. "I fractured my radius (smaller bone in forearm) and radial head (break near elbow) and tore all of the ligaments. I needed two screws to screw the radial head together and had to have all of my ligaments reattached."

Battle said its the biggest injury he's ever sustained and has a scar from his left triceps to the middle of his wrist. He was leaving for Italy the week the injury occurred.

Battle rehabs just about every day for a couple hours at UB and

Excelsior Orthopaedics on Sheridan Drive in Amherst. He hopes to be cleared for full contact by the end of December or early January and head back to Europe by March but he is taking it day by day, week by week.

While rehabbing, Battle bumped into Sweet Home coach Paul Schintzius, who he has known since his freshman year at UB.

"I told them he ought to help me out and come over to Sweet Home," Schnitzius. "About a week or two past and he said, coach Schintz, 'I would really like to do that if you'd like to have me.' I said I would love to have you... It's great because I can get on them and make a point during practice and as soon as I walk away, there's Turner to reiterate the same point."

"I want to coach college basketball when I'm done playing," Battle said. "I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to start coaching and get a feel for it since I can't play now."

Schintzius even told Battle to use Sweet Home practices for rehab so he can play overseas when he gets the call next year.

Battle said he tries to relate to the Sweet Home players his perspective as well as knowledge learned from UB coach Reggie Witherspoon and his father, Richard.

The players seemed to have responded well.

"When he speaks, everyone shuts up," said senior guard Eric Schnirel. "Everyone feeds off him. Sometimes he practices with us and gives us little tips here and there. It's great to have him."

"He helps us perfect things more and make us a better basketball team," added senior guard Terrell Rankin.

Battle thinks Sweet Home is similar to his UB teams.

"They're a real blue collar team," said Battle. "We have some veterans back. I think we have a pretty good team. We just need to get more leadership from some of the seniors and I think we'll be all right."

Since graduating from UB, Battle has played professionally for BC Kalev in Estonia as well as teams in Sweden and France. He also played two games for the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA's Developmental League and a few games for the ABA's Buffalo Rapids, now Buffalo Silverbacks.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com