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ST. PARIS — An urge to compete developed early for Brook Cupps.

Graham's head boys basketball coach learned to dribble and shoot on the driveway of his parents' home on Lippincott Road. But that's also where big brother John lived.

"He used to beat the crap out of me when I was little," Brook Cupps said. "I say that, but he always took me to play football with him. I was always the little brother tagging along with the rest of his friends.

"I remember playing basketball and me punching out a window because I couldn't beat him," Brook continued. "He was seven years older than me and he would back me down every time. He was just bigger and stronger and would drive to the hoop, and I could never stop him.

"I hated to lose."

That competitive streak runs through the entire Cupps family.

John, 38, is an assistant football coach at Springfield High School and was an assistant coach at Graham for 10 years. Brook, 31, is in his eighth season as the Falcons' head coach.

Their father, Ray, was Graham's baseball coach for 11 years. He retired after the 2006 season.

"Dad's competitive, don't let him fool you." Brook said. "Just because he's laid back and quiet doesn't mean he doesn't want to win. Johnny beat him in chess one time, and he kicked the board and threw the whole thing across the room."

Each chose a different path to their teaching and coaching careers.

Ray, 61, coached whatever sport his sons participated in, depending on the season. He even served as Brook's assistant.

John, a 1987 Graham graduate, excelled at football, and that carried over to his coaching career. He tried basketball for a couple of years, but "I was always in a lot of foul trouble. I don't think I ever started a game," he said.

Brook, a 1995 Graham graduate, played baseball and basketball, and football for a time. He was the starting third baseman on the 1995 state runner-up team and grew up playing football like his older brother. But it was basketball that grabbed him.

"As he grew up, it seemed like I was always taking him somewhere to play," Ray said. "He always wanted to go and play against people who were better than him down in Dayton. I just spent the gas money. But that was OK because that was what he wanted to do."

As a three-sport coach, Ray kept track of his youngest son in all those sports. Brook eventually went on to play basketball at Capital University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the basketball team. He holds the Crusaders' record for career assists (405).

"I never would accept excuses from him," Ray said. "Whenever he would start to complain, my answer was always, 'You have to work harder.' He's got a tremendous work ethic, and he's always had that. If it can be accomplished by hard work, he'll get 'er done."

Through hard work, and the ability to play its best in big games, Graham is two wins away from a state title. The Falcons (26-0) play Toledo Libbey (23-2) today, March 13, at 10:45 a.m. in a Division II state semifinal at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.

Ray sees a lot of Brook reflected in the 2008 Falcons.

"It's like watching five Brooks play," Ray said. "Each one of those players is taking something from how he played the game."

With Cupps' competitiveness channeled through each of the players, the Falcons are making their first appearance in state tournament.

"He works very hard at coaching, and his team reflects a lot of him as a player," John said. "They're not necessarily real flashy, but they're disciplined and they work hard."

Ray just took down the rim in his driveway, the same basket that John and Brook honed their skills on as children.

No one wanted to play on it anymore. John and Brook haven't played each other in years — but there's a reason for that.

"(John) can't beat me anymore," Brook said. "He quit playing completely when I finally beat him."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0366 or bplasters@coxohio.com.