Intensity Defined

Both of my parents were coaches. My mom was a multiple sports star and she grew up in New York. My dad was sports-oriented, too. I think they taught me about the discipline of what sports can bring to you. I was a two-sport kid with basketball and baseball. As far as basketball, it was one of those things where I played because I didn't want to hear people saying I couldn't do something. I hated to hear that. I went out of my way to prove people wrong. I'm not that tall, so I guess it was kind of a Napoleon thing. But I was listed as 6-foot-1 in college, but you know how that works. I had no intentions of being a coach. But I guess it was in the bloodlines. I was going to go to law school. But something happened and I didn't want to ultimately do something where I had to prove people innocent that I knew were guilty. I think I could have been a good lawyer. I was good at arguing. The law is so easy to twist. You can twist it for you or the other way around. But I didn't want to look in the mirror and have to ask if I'm a good person. I'd be teaching if I wasn't coaching. Working with people. Teaching and coaching are the same to me. You take a concept and hope they buy into it to the point where they think it's theirs. The main thing we have in our program is passion purpose and pride. We have a list of ideals that go under those words and what it means to represent those three P's. There are three schools in town, but we are Edmond. AAU has destroyed high school basketball. Ten or 15 years ago, there were a few travel teams. That was good. But that Oklahoma has 100-plus boys AAU teams is ridiculous. It takes everything away from community. The word across the chest doesn't mean as much. Kids have a lot going in their lives. At Edmond Memorial, we may not be the most talented but we respect the game. We represent the school in a positive way. Tom Izzo was demanding. I think that anyone who has played for him understands that. It's tough love with coach Izzo. And I guess you're a product of how you are coached. He slaps a kid on the back when it's going well and he's not afraid to tell them when they screw up. Playing basketball wasn't ever a job for me. It should always be fun. It teaches life skills. Hopefully I was a smart player. I took great pride in dissecting opponents. That probably led to where I am today. Things happen for a reason. At Michigan State, I broke my wrist taking a charge. It shattered my wrist right before my freshman year in practice. It happens. I wouldn't be coaching if it didn't happen. After the injury, I wanted to get as far away as possible. I wasn't ever the same player. I was a good player only because I wasn't afraid to go beyond just being skilled. I wanted to be a complete player and a complete practice player. As far as being overly skilled, I'm not your guy. My first job coaching was as an assistant at Southern Nazarene. From there, I moved to Western Heights. Also, I did something that most coaches don't always do. Everyone wants a big job. Hopefully, I realized it was important to coach at the middle school level. I spent a year as a middle school coach and a freshman coach and worked my way up from there. If I never win a state championship it's not OK with me. I can be satisfied with my kids and my administration, but I would feel like I cheated my kids. I want to watch my kids come out of the tunnel before the state championship game. That's the best feeling. It's the last time you are playing for something other than yourself. I enjoy college basketball. You can still find the pureness of it. You just don't want to look at the top programs to find it. Society has changed. I don't have anything against a kid who can go earn a wage for his skill set. But the thing I don't like is that everything is so commercialized. All of it started happening when AAU became a giant. I love the relationship with the kids. It's not a line. Anyone who coaches says that. You do it for the kids. Don't pay me more for winning. Pay me for letting them have a quality time in my classroom. I don't know what's next for me. We'll see what time brings. I have a great job and I have great kids. That's not lip service. I'm never a person that yells at an official. My demeanor changes on the sideline. I communicate and sometimes I communicate louder than other times. I'm involved in the game and it's hard for me at times to separate myself from it. I see things and how they should be. It's hard for me not to get out there and do it. No one wants to be successful as much as I do. I love competition.