He's no Eminem, but the teacher gets high marks from his pupils.

Kevin Dix, an assistant to East Aurora boys basketball coach Wendell Jeffries, wanted to stress the importance of defense to this year's team so he wrote a rap. Then, he got English teacher Parker Gadbois to produce and direct a video to go with it.

Their collaboration -- Coach Dix Defense Rap -- can be viewed on You Tube, where it has received more than a thousand hits.

"I wanted to make some instructional videos but I thought making a normal one wouldn't be as much fun and probably wouldn't be as entertaining for these kids," said Dix, who had 16 years of head coaching experience at Marian Central in Woodstock and St. Edward in Elgin before joining Jeffries' staff three years ago.

"I'm not a rapper. It was just something fun to do."

It looks it, as Dix swishes a one-handed shot with his back to the basket, dunks and then does a good job as percussionist, playing a rack of basketballs like bongos.

"All teams have guys
who can drive it to the hole,
They post you up and shoot,
got moves that are so cold.

But teams that run 'n gun
never seem to win the prize,
Victory's at the other end
it's time to realize,

That defense is the biggest key,
it takes all of you,
It's a commitment,
now what you gonna do?"

Dix was inspired by Gadbois, he said, noting the teacher had done something similar with a Shakespeare sonnet for his English classes.

Jeffries liked it.

"I thought it was very motivational and helps with the rapport," he said. "Talking to them their way opened up communication."

He had the team watch it together last week before opening post-season play at the Plainfield East Regional, which they won with wins over Naperville Central and Neuqua Valley.

"It was crazy," said junior standout Ryan Boatright. "I'd give him a 98. I liked it. Everybody liked it. He said he's been writing it since October."

Letrell "Snoop Viser, saying it could be "video of the year," gave the coach a 99 instead of 100 "because he didn't have me in it."

Junior post player Tom Okapal "thought it was raw. Coach Dix snapped on it. For a 50-year-old white man, he didn't make a fool of himself."

To view the video, click here: