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Friday, February 1, 2008
Bull Durham
Central Oklahoma, OK
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Tondrell Durham has been part of six state champion teams at Bishop McGuinness. He’s been to the state tournament eight times. And now, heading into his sixth season as head coach, Durham and the Irish are looking to win the 4A title for a third year in a row.
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You can’t just be a coach or a teacher. Sometimes you have to be a psychologist, too. You have to help the kids understand what’s important, and that’s the team.
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I have one brother and one sister and my mom was the one who encouraged me to get involved in sports. I played football and watching him play made me want to play. She thought it would be good for us for discipline and understand what it means to be part of a team.
I started playing basketball with a friend in his back yard. It was a low goal and I was a big fan of the 1980s Lakers. I loved Magic Johnson, so that got me going.
I went to Oklahoma Christian, but I’ve been a Texas Longhorn fan since Earl Campbell. I take a lot of grief, but I still wear my Texas hat every once in awhile. Go Longhorns.
At Spruse High in Dallas and I picked up the game and worked at it. I made varsity my sophomore year. It surprised me. But I worked hard. I was elated. I didn’t play a lot, but I didn’t get discouraged because I had a varsity suit and that’s what mattered to me.
Now days, everybody wants to get playing time. But I say, playing time starts in practice, not in the game. You might not play in the game, but being part of something is way more important. Not all the guys understand that.
Understanding people and personalities is the hardest part of being a coach. There are a lot of personalities that you have to manage. You can’t just be a coach or a teacher. Sometimes you have to be a psychologist, too. You have to help the kids understand what’s important, and that’s the team. Can you give yourself to the team? That’s what I ask them all the time.
Being a coach, of course you love to win. But most people see straightforward. Being a head coach you have to see everything from top to bottom and all sides of it.
When we win, I’m already thinking about who we’re playing next. That’s just not me, that’s every coach.
Everyone has an opinion and that’s OK, but sometimes people need to see that there’s quality coaching going on here at McGuinness. We have athletes, but I work hard and our coaches work hard. Not saying others don’t, but we try to give them quality coaching. Win or lose, they get that, and that’s what is important.
If I recruited, I would be going town to town getting the best players. That’s all I have to say about that. I don’t really care what others are saying about it or about us.
Winning state never gets old. The hard work always pays off. We won’t win it every year, but sure enough, it’s fun trying.
March is the best time of the year. I get to fill out my bracket and try to get the Irish to the state tournament.
I played a lot of basketball, I’ve done a lot of running. I miss playing to a degree. I wonder how good I could have known now what I didn’t know then.
I love competing and I love to work the next task or get to that next goal. One day, I might have to ask if it’s time to move on, and it’s in the back of my mind, wondering if I could go to the next level. In the future, that’s what I would maybe hope for is to tackle that next challenge.
Every sport has backing here at McGuinness. It’s a special school and a close-knit community. Academics are at the forefront, but athletics is important, too.
I’m more concerned about my team and basketball than if someone hates McGuinness. I don’t care about that. That’s just life.
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