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That shouldn't be asking too much. Webb stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds. The ex-Army scout and holder of a black belt in tae kwon do also has a menacing goatee, an earring and a hairless melon.

One fully expects to see him motoring around town on a Harley. In shirtsleeves. In January.

"Kids require our time, it's that simple. You can't buy their respect," Webb says.

In his estimation, respect is an essential -- and lacking -- ingredient in many young people's lives today.

"I don't look like a basketball coach," Webb admits. "I'm not a poster boy for anybody. I don't know if I'm the best role model, but you have to have leaders and I'm OK with that. I demand respect and they get respect from me."

His HoopTime program earned a measure of respect last week in the Gold Medal Basketball Tournament, finishing as runner-up to Metlakatla in the inaugural Middle School Bracket tourney.

"I wanted to reach kids who wouldn't have gotten a chance otherwise," Webb said last week on the eve of Gold Medal play. "I didn't get my first coach until I was in the Army. I don't want these kids to have to wait that long."

He's not easy on them. Players run hard and they're sometimes forced to do push-ups when the inevitable mistakes happen.

"One of the parents watching our practice said, 'Oh my gosh, my kid's joined Edd's army!'" Webb said of the sometimes rigorous drills.

But it's not quite a military boot camp, said Daryl Lew, a seventh-grader from Floyd Dryden Middle School.

"Sometimes we goof off," he said. "But we still practice hard. We really work hard together."

The Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned HoopTime Basketball club has grown rapidly in the short amount of time it's existed.

HoopTime is comprised of some 35 fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade kids who may or may not be able to play basketball. All Webb requires of them is the desire to play, and their respect.

"Some of them have two left feet," Webb chuckled. "I'm honest with them. You may not be good enough to play on the (travel) team now, but that doesn't mean you can't."

With only sixth- and seventh-grade players, the HoopTime Gold Medal team was younger and smaller than the teams from Dzantik'i Heeni, Kake, Hoonah, Metlakatla and Angoon, who had a large selection of eighth-graders.

His players, gathered for one of their intense three-a-week practices recently at Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School, didn't seem bothered by this going into the tournament.

"We're fast," said Dominique Brinson, a sixth-grader at Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School. "We can beat 'em with our quickness."

Dominique -- who is named after NBA great Dominique Wilkins -- said even though he's young, he's had plenty of experience.

"I've been playing since I was 2 years old," he said.

Dzantik'i Heeni seventh-grader Zak Kirkpatrick said having an organized basketball team like HoopTime is essential for those players who wish to continue improving year-round.

"(With HoopTime) you can get a lot more practice, and you've got to practice," Kirkpatrick said.

Webb is trying to find more gym time for his players. But he knows how tough that is in Juneau. It irks him to no end that players from this area -- including at least two from his own team -- will head north next year so that they can get more court time year-round.

"A basketball town like Juneau and we don't have a better program for kids?" Webb asked incredulously. "It's almost criminal. It's got to be a community thing. We've got Gastineau Channel for Little League, JYFL for football ... and we'll have HoopTime for basketball."

Webb said he'll head up the program for at least five years. He's hoping he can get some momentum toward the construction of a new basketball facility in that time frame. He envisions up to 500 kids eventually joining HoopTime -- boys and girls.

He credits his assistant coaches, Norm Staton and Scott Damian, for helping him get through a difficult start-up phase. Also, parents and long-time area coaches Chris Monagle and Steve Bavard chip in and help out when they can. All volunteer their time.

He's funded a lot of his team's necessities so far, including basketballs and jerseys.

"I'm not getting paid. In fact, I'm in the hole," Webb said.

But his bigger plan -- putting together a trip to Seattle or Sacramento this spring to play in tournaments against other competitive travel teams -- requires more money than his piggy bank's balance permits. He also wants to take his younger players to a tourney in Haines.

He conducted the First Annual Bill Tompkins Memorial 3-Man Jam last week, a three-on-three basketball tournament at the National Guard Armory, in hopes of raising some funds toward such a trip.

Those interested in checking out his program can find Webb at the Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School gym, or Floyd Dryden, or the Armory ... or any other gym in town that has floor space available. It's likely he'll have a whistle in his mouth and a basketball in his hand.

"There's no place I'd rather be than helping these kids," Webb said.

"He's fun, he's enthusiastic," said Lew, the seventh-grader at Floyd Dryden.

One gets the impression he's respected too.

For contributions and more information about the HoopTime Basketball development club, go to http://www.hooptime-basketball.org.

Mike Stewart can be reached at mikestew@juneauempire.com.