Dontay Hampton. Photo courtesy of Chattanooga Athletics Communications

Make sure you have the drive to be successful because without a doubt it will be hard.  Have the drive and confidence to overcome hardship.

Dontay Hampton

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Basketball

2012: Team Captain, Played in 32 games, started 2, averaged 16.6 minutes/game

2011: Awarded Scholarship, Played in 32 games, started 2, averaged 9.2 minutes/game

2010: Played in 25 games, averaged 5.2 minutes/game

2009: Red-shirted, Walk-on

When Dontay graduated from Arts and Sciences High School he was offered a scholarship from Junior Colleges.  But Dontay chose to stay close to home to take care of his younger brother.

WillofaChampion: What has been one of your greatest challenges as a walk-on?

Dontay Hampton February 4, 2012 against Davidson. Photo courtesy of Chattanooga Athletics Communications

Dontay: Having the self-confidence to keep going.  I was never big on getting respect or trying to prove myself.  I knew that would come. The main thing for me was to be confident in my ability.

WillofaChampion: What have you done to overcome that challenge?

Dontay: I try to outwork everyone. I believe hard work pays off.  So I work hard to develop my ability and confidence.

WillofaChampion: Did you have to spend extra time practicing, running, and lifting weights compared to your teammates?

Dontay: I believed I was talented enough to play. But I also knew I would have to go the extra mile to earn that playing time.  If you want to be successful; you will go the extra mile.  I am not the only one; other guys are going the extra mile too.

WillofaChampion: Do you have to be mentally tough as a walk-on?

Dontay: Without a doubt you have to be mentally tough because you aren’t given anything. Some coaches won’t even give you a chance.  If you’re not mentally tough, you won’t make it.

WillofaChampion: How did your teammates receive you when you first walked-on?

Photo provided by Chattanooga Athletics Communications

Dontay: They welcomed me with open arms and have always treated me fairly.

WillofaChampion: How did your coaches receive you?

Dontay: Same as the players. They encouraged me to keep working and eventually gave me a shot.

WillofaChampion: Why do you think you’ve made it when other walk-ons do not?

Dontay:  I’ve been mentally tough and you have to be driven to keep going. I’ve had a lot of struggles in my life and know how to overcome obstacles.

WillofaChampion: When you go through challenging times, who do you talk with to help you get through them?

Dontay:  I have more people I can talk with now. But from middle school to high school I only had my little brother and me.  I had to lean on myself to pick myself up.  I had to think positively.

WillofaChampion: How did you find out you would be given a scholarship?

Dontay: It was weird. I was going to talk with coach about the season.  It was the week before classes started for the 2010-2011 school year.  I had no idea I was getting a scholarship.  He told me right there on the spot. It was breath-taking. It felt real good.

WillofaChampion: Now you’re the captain, how did that come about?

Dontay:  My teammates and coach elected me.  They respect me and felt it was time for me to take that leadership role.  They respect me for my work ethic and desire to communicate with them.

WillofaChampion: What impact has following your dream and earning it had on the rest of your life?

Dontay:  A huge impact.  After earning that scholarship I feel like if I work hard I can accomplish anything I want.

WillofaChampion: What advice do you have for other athletes considering walking-on to play college sports?

Dontay:  Don’t let anyone belittle you.  Make sure you have the drive to be successful because without a doubt it will be hard.  Have the drive and confidence to overcome hardship.

Interview: May, 2012

Rick Jones. Picture courtesy of GreenwoodDogpound.com

One of our big beliefs is that we coach every kid every day in one form or another.  Any coach can coach a great player…  but it takes a great coach to take a guy that isn’t a player and turn him into a player.

Rick Jones

Head Football Coach

Greenwood High School

Arkansas High School AAAAA State Champions 2011 2010 2007 2006

Arkansas High School AAAA State Champions 2005

AAAA Runners-up 2004

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a mission, vision, or purpose statement?

Coach Jones:  Every year our leadership council develops either a creed, statement of beliefs, or a mission statement.  What we’re about is illustrated in the two books; Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood and Inside out Coaching.  We want to coach athletes to be whole men emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally.  To accomplish this we do things like a father-son weekend camping trip where we do unity building activities between the dads and their sons.  For moms we have a “Moms Football 101” – a practice with moms where the position coaches teach them plays.  They love it.  We also divide the team up into squads and on a regular basis have the kids talk about their lives.  Those are some of the things we do that may be uncommon.

Picture provided by GreenwoodDogpound.com

WillofaChampion:  What have you done to create and maintain a winning culture?

Coach Jones:  We talk a lot about culture and how to treat kids.  Our kids can get to the locker-room through the coaches office.  There used to be signs telling the players to walk around.  We took the signs down.  I want kids in the coach’s office.  I want to see them.  I want to visit with them.  This is our home.  If we’re in a meeting then we may have the kids walk around.  Otherwise they are welcome. Having them walk-through our office gives us an opportunity to look and see how they’re feeling.

In March we tell the kids that by the end of July they will be running 56 sprints at one time.  When I was first hired, the kids didn’t believe it.  I reiterated that it is a process.  It won’t happen tomorrow, next week or next month. We are building toward it.  When they ran those 56 sprints in July they realized they can do a lot more than they think.

The head coach is the only guy responsible for applying the gas or the brake.  If you apply the wrong one you can lose your team.  For example, in 2000 I was coaching at Broken Arrow High School and we finished with a losing record.  I decided to bring the kids in on the Monday following our last game. We were going to make changes.  But the kids were tired from a brutal season.  They weren’t ready to get after it.  I was struck with how mentally and physically tired they were.  Kids need rest just as much as they need work.  I should’ve applied the brake when I hit the gas.  But you live and learn.

Two years ago we were on ESPNU and were beaten soundly.  Right after that loss we got beat by the fifth place team in our conference.  We played poorly.  I told our staff we were on a fine line.  If you say things are going badly but we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, the kids think you’re crazy.  If you say things are going badly and we’re changing everything, the kids think you’re crazy.  We had to walk the line discerning what needed to change and want needed to stay the same.  Things you never change are discipline, hard work, being the right kind of person on and off the field.  The basic core beliefs of the program will not change.  What we did change was the length and intensity of practice.  We shortened practice time and increased the intensity.  Traditionally we never ran sprints after practice.  We practice fast so we didn’t need to.  But we started running sprints after practice for every single time we saw one of our players not going full speed.  We did 17 sprints that first day.  We went on to win our next ten games and the state championship.  We did a better job applying the brake and gas.  In 2006 we were doing well going into game 9 when we got beat 45 – 7 by LR Christian.  We made a lot of uncommon errors.  That time we didn’t apply either the brake or the gas; however, we told our players that we were all in it together.  Before every game and before every practice, we would interlock our arms and walk on the field together and after practice or a game, we would interlock our arms and walk off the field.  The point was, no matter how well or how poorly we might play, we were in it together.  That loss forced us to play at Camden Fairview in the semi-finals.  They had six division one athletes, four of whom were going to Arkansas.  We beat them 24-21.  We faced LR Christian again for the state championship. This time we won 27-6.  Again, the head coach has to know when to apply the brake and gas, and when not to.  Only he can make that decision.

All pictures courtesy of GreenwoodDogpound.com

WillofaChampion:  What do you do to cultivate a team-first attitude amongst your players?

Coach Jones:  We don’t give any individual awards during the banquet.  If a program awards kids with titles like: “Best Back”, “Best Linemen” half the kids leave the banquet mad.  I tell the parents at the beginning of the year that this is a team sport, we win as a team, we lose as a team – there will be no individual awards.  We give helmet decals for good things players do both on and off the field.

When it comes to discipline we treat our kids equally.  If you treat your best players under one set of rules and discipline the others under another – you will have problems.  There is no greater killer to unity than unfair discipline. If a kid is late he runs, misses a practice he runs more.  Vince Lombardi said that on the field you won’t treat everyone the same (meaning you aren’t going to treat the 5^th string guy like you will the 1^st string guy).  But off the field they all need to be treated the same. One of our big beliefs is that we coach every kid every day in one form or another.  Any coach can coach a great player.  That can be ridiculously easy.  But it takes a great coach to take a guy that isn’t a player and turn him into a player.  If kids know they’re being treated fairly, then that helps maintain that team first attitude.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill physical and mental discipline in your athletes?

Coach Jones:  It starts with stretch; when the kids line-up their toes have to touch the white line.  We get them in an athletic position and get them moving without taking a false step.  If they touch the green line, we do things over.  We stretch in our indoor facility where our championship banners are hung so we see them every day.

One of my big beliefs is we have to constantly tell kids why we’re here.  You cannot assume they know.  We remind them during “Three Minutes”. Between practice periods three and six we come together.  The kids put their arms around each other while the coordinators talk about their goals for the day.  Then I talk about the theme of the week.  I give a quote or poem.  The team constantly has to know why we’re here, where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there.  I stress it over and over.

Our goals are the same every year.  Win the first game.  Win the conference.  Win the state championship.  Any kid in our locker-room can recite them.  Every year I have a major theme.  This past year (2011) I got it from Butler. “The Butler Way” is a statement of beliefs.  I met with our leadership team and gave them a list similar to the Butler way but I wanted them to develop it.  I wanted it encrypted on a t-shirt so when people asked what it means we would have to say it over and over.  The kids came up with: “Bulldog WEIGH” – Work, Enthusiasm, Intensity, Guts, and Heart.  All our shirts have it.  We also have a secret motto.  I tell the kids the secret motto later in their career when I know they will not give up.  The motto is in Greek.  I put the Greek letters on everything we send out.  The players are not to tell anyone the motto.  Not their moms, dads, girlfriends, no one.  If anyone tells I will cut it off for a year.

The Bulldog WEIGH became our weekly theme.  The first week was Work, second week Enthusiasm, third week Intensity, 4^th week Guts, 5^th week Heart and then we used the BUTLER terms for the next five weeks and had four more for the playoffs.  We talk about the theme on Monday and Thursday night.  Thursday’s an assistant coach gives a 15-20 minute presentation on the theme.  We make a big deal out of theme night.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Jones:  Our guys apply for leadership positions like they are applying for a job.  Before the end of school they write me a letter of intent stating they will apply for a leadership position. The first day of our summer program they turn in a resume. I check the resume to see if they qualify. I look for leadership experiences, good grades and behavior. I will select people to be interviewed by the offensive and defensive coordinator and usually someone from the community. At that point we put those that we think are the best candidates on the ballot and let the team vote.  I want a leadership guy that has the support of his teammates.  The second week of two-a-days we announce the leadership council.  The leadership council is made up of sophomores – voted on by sophomores, juniors voted on by juniors, and seniors voted on by seniors.  Everybody votes for captains.  We select the captains based on criteria that are above and beyond Leadership Council.  If a guy is willing to go through the process to be captain he is usually the right kind of guy. There are usually one or two kids a year that go through the process but don’t get it.  The team can only vote for two. We want it to be more than a popularity contest. If someone becomes a captain but does not fulfill his responsibilities he will be removed.

WillofaChampion: What do you do to develop leadership skills in your players?

Coach Jones: We teach them and give our kids a lot of opportunities to stand up in front of the team and talk.   Any player can make a statement to the team during theme time or squad work.  I’ve used different curriculum for leadership development: I Can program by Zig Ziggler, Leadership Training by Dennis Parker, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell, D.W. Rutledge, a year ago we purchased the book, Teammates Matter, and studied it on a chapter by chapter basis.  We try some leadership curriculum every year.  I do believe we can teach leaders and help them get better.  But I also believe leaders are leaders. Followers are followers.  I’m not sure you can change one to another. I give a speech over and over concerning attitude and effort. You ask any kid in our locker-room what are two things he has control of in his life and he will tell you: attitude and effort.  The repeated emphasis on attitude and effort is part of the reason we have come from behind to win so many big games.

WillofaChampion: How do you invest in the children and adolescents that may be part of your program in the future?

Coach Jones: The summer program is for third through twelfth grade.  The third graders do the 16 days just like the high school kids but without the weights. We do a youth football camp in July from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. At  8:15pm  to 10:00pm,  we do a clinic for the youth coaches. We try to make that a stepping stone. Football starts early and you walk a fine line between too much and too little. We strive to stay in that middle ground. Our summer program is unique.  We invite moms to work out with us.  We include both boys and girls and the program is designed to develop speed and strength.  In the early days it lasted 30 days.  Now we go 16 days.  We had 186 kids our first year.  Last year we had 415.  They get a shirt if they are here every day.  No excuses.  We tell the kids we won’t sell it to them for a million dollars, but will give it to them for free if they come every single day.  It is a big deal to wear a 100% Bulldog T-shirt around town.  Last year we distributed 211 shirts to over 50% of the kids.  People sit in their lawn chairs and watch.  It is something our high school football players have to participate in if they want to play.

WillofaChampion: What have we not discussed yet that is critical to a state championship program?

Coach Jones: Administrative support from scheduling to facilities. Our administration has created a structure for us to succeed. They are not ashamed to say extra-curricular activities are important. That is huge. The other thing is our parents are willing to make sacrifices for us to be good. They bring their kids up in the summer. They support their kids and do the things we ask to be part of the program. They see the benefit of the program and buy-in as well. You need players, community, and parents in order to be successful. If you have really good players you can afford to not be real strong with parents or community. But if you have average players and you want a championship program you need to develop strong community and parent support.  There are championship caliber programs that do not have a lot of division one talent.  We have good kids from good families that work hard.

A few years ago a player shared with me his need for more sleep and how he never could sleep in. We had practice on Saturday morning and he went to church on Sundays. So I asked the leadership council about changing Saturday morning practices to Sundays from 1:50 to 4:00pm.  I spoke with all the Youth Ministers and Ministers in town.  I had no conflicts with church.  We switched. The kids love it. Now they use Saturdays to take the ACT test, go to the Arkansas game, deer hunting, duck hunting, whatever they want.  They have the full day off on Saturday.  It has been one of the best changes we’ve made.

Coach Jones has a goal of reading thirty books a year. Most of which is completed in the “off-season”.  He shares what he reads with three or four people.  He is currently reading The Wisdom of the Crowds.

Interview:  April, 2012

Iona Stookey

Before every match I remind the team of a few things:  This isn’t about you; it is about us.  We win as a team and lose as a team.  It doesn’t matter who gets the most kills or aces but it matters that we win.

Iona Stookey

Head Girls Volleyball Coach

Huntley Project High School

Montana Class B High School State Champions

2003  2004  2006  2007  2009  2010  2011

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a purpose, mission, or a vision statement?

Coach Stookey:  I love teaching, coaching, and watching athletes succeed.  My mission is to teach them everything I know and hopefully good things come out of it.  Vision Statement – teach them what is correct instead of what is easier.  I run an AAU program for our fourth to sixth grade girls.  We just returned from a U12’s tournament where they noticed a lot of girls serving under hand.  We serve over head.  We help them; we use a lighter ball, move them up closer to the net and/or lower the net.  But we teach them what is right and not easier so we don’t have to re-teach the skill later.  As they get older they just get better at what they’ve been taught.  I’m not saying serving underhand is wrong, over head is just more effective.

WillofaChampion:  How did you create and maintain a culture of winning?

Coach Stookey:  A lot of hard work.  I start youths in camp when they enter second grade.  We’re a small district but still average about 120 kids grades 2 to 12 in our summer camps.  All of them are our kids.  I try to make it as fun as possible.  Our AAU program starts in Fourth Grade.  I try to get them as much playing time as possible.  We focus on skills.  For example, this past weekend the girls were a little frustrated they didn’t win a lot of matches.  But I reminded them that they learned the rotation, when to switch to defense and where to go to base.  We stress the basics in switching and picking our positions; my middle hitters, outside hitters, my setters.  Three of our four 4^th-6^th grade teams are running the 4-2 defense.  Not that they’re getting the pass, set, spike every time but they’re learning.  If you run the 4-2 you can run anything.  It works for me and the kids like it.

WillofaChampion:  Is it harder to create or maintain a championship caliber program?

Coach Stookey:  I think it is harder to create it.  I think success breeds success.  Once you start winning the athletes, parents, fans, and community want to be involved.  Our support is amazing.  But it wasn’t like that when we first got here.  We had to start winning before the enthusiastic support developed.

WillofaChampion:  What have you done to cultivate a team first attitude amongst your girls?

Coach Stookey:  Before every match I remind the team of a few things:  This isn’t about you; it is about us.  We win as a team and lose as a team.  It doesn’t matter who gets the most kills or aces but it matters that we win.  The girls know that if someone is having a good game we need to keep feeding her the ball.  If someone isn’t we need to steer away from her.  That is okay because not everyone is going to have a good game all the time.  I tell the younger kids we need to pass, set, attack and good things will happen.  It doesn’t matter if you win or lose but I do want you to pass, set, and attack every ball if you can.  Their challenge is when we have our back and front rows doing their switching and the other team is just bumping the ball right back over the net.  We get caught in the switches.  The girls get frustrated with that, but they are starting to understand why we do what we do.  The sooner we get them into a pass, set, and attack offense the more success we will have in the end.  The young ones are part of the program and like the older girls they are learning not to do what is easy but what is more effective.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill mental and physical discipline in your athletes?

Coach Stookey:  We have Terrific Tuesday practice.  The girls call it Terrible Tuesday.  Since I started coaching in 1990 I have had a sign called Terrific Tuesday to remind us.  Tuesday night is the hardest practice of the week and they know it.  They mentally have to be ready.  I work them physically very hard on all sorts of defensive drills.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Stookey:  I expect them to lead by example.  To get respect they have to earn it.  I always tell them to practice what they preach.  If you expect it, then you better do it.  I expect them to be great leaders on and off the court.  I expect them to talk with me when something is going on I need to know about.  I expect them to help with conflicts amongst teammates.  We vote for captains because it is important to let the team have input.  I also choose a captain.  We usually choose two or three captains.  The number depends on each girl’s leadership ability and skills.  If I need to relay something to the team I find the captains.  I count on them a lot.

WillofaChampion:  Do you do anything specific to develop leadership skills in your athletes?

Coach Stookey:  We have a big-sister little-sister program where our upper classmen are assigned one freshman for the season.  For every home game they have to give each other a token of encouragement; A note, a Powerade, a “hey – have a great game” candy bar.    Those are examples of many things they do like that.  Part of what makes this special is if the Little-sister is struggling with something not related to volleyball they still always have someone to speak with.  It has really been awesome for us.  Senior night is a big deal because the Little-sisters will do something special for the Big-sisters, especially the seniors.  We’ve had really cool and creative things that have meant a lot to the Big-sisters.  Posters with pictures and a poem, things like that.  This has really helped bring the freshmen along with the seniors.  We practice everyone together at the same time, so they get to see each other all the time and help one another.  I really like having all of them together.  I make the day they find out who their big-sister/little-sister is very special.

WillofaChampion:  What do you do to invest in the young girls that may join your program in the future?

Coach Stookey:  Again, we start in second grade.  We are a small town, so those young girls will come and watch the older players.  Some of our alumni return to help at the kids camps.  We try to get the older and younger girls together.  We used to have a 5^th and 6^th grade program the older girls helped with.  It gave the younger girls exposure to the older ones.  We do T-shirts at camps the older girls would sign the young girls’ shirts.  The young ones loved it and felt connected to the older girls, part of the program.

WillofaChampion:  Is there anything we haven’t discussed you believe is critical to developing a state championship caliber program?

Coach Stookey:  I became a head-coach at the age of 19 (different school in Montana).  Having girls just a year younger than me was challenging.  I came here and learned two things from our principal who was a very successful wrestling coach.  In regards to winning, he told me, “Go with what got you there.  Don’t change midstream.”  The second thing: “Before you criticize an athlete, remember who put her out there in the first place.”  Those two things I truly think about all the time to this day.  Obviously, there is more to the coaching part.  But those two things have stuck with me since 1990.  I have put them into my philosophy.  I try to be a leader, role-model, and keep in touch with players after they graduate.  When we won the state tournament this year, I had 120 text messages from former players.  What I loved was not the number of text, but the number of people excited about us winning.  It is a lot of work and the more you win the more pressure is put on the next team.  I try not to focus on the past.  Every year we’re a new team with new energy and chemistry.  This year we were defending state champions.  People around us talked about the three-peat.  We never talked about it.  There is enough pressure on kids today you don’t need to talk about the past.  You just need to worry about what is happening in the present because that is what matters.  Our philosophy is to take our team and make it the best it can be with what we have.

Another facet we haven’t discussed is parents.  I believe in educating parents and fans about the intricacies of the game.  Parents don’t always understand the game.  They don’t know when you can or can’t substitute and why.  It isn’t like basketball where you can random sub.  But when you break it down for people, they are often surprised at the technicality of the game.  At our school every sport is required to have a parents meeting.  I require at least one of the parents to be there.  A kid cannot play until one of the parents has met with me.  At the parents meeting I go over the rules, I talk with them about position play and how the game works.  Taking the time to teach the parents has saved me time with parental issues later.  Now parents ask me questions to try and understand the game better.  The other thing we tell our parents is if they have an issue they cannot come to any coach after the game.  They have to call the next day and set-up an appointment.  I get great administrative support with that rule.  I am fortunate that we don’t have a lot of parent problems, every coach has one or two, but for the most part our parents are great!

Interview:  March, 2012

Truckee High School Boys Soccer Team 2008 State Champions

If a player makes a mistake on the field I am not going to yell at him.  I let him deal with the mistake initially.  But I will pull him and talk with him to help him refocus.  I put him right back in the game.

Casey Eberhardt

Truckee High School

Head Boys Soccer Coach 2011

Assistant Coach 2008-2010

Nevada 3A High School Boys Soccer State Champions 2008

Nevada 3A High School Boys Soccer State Semi-finals 2010

Nevada 3A High School Boys Soccer State Semi-finals 2011

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a mission, vision, or purpose statement?

Going up for the ball

Coach Eberhardt:  Not formally.  We strive for consistency.  That is what we discuss the most.  I want consistency in our level of play regardless of the competition.  I want us to practice with a high level of intensity consistent with games.  I want consistency in attending practice.  If a player misses a practice he won’t start.  If he misses two practices he won’t play.  We’re consistent in our discipline and expectations.

WillofaChampion:  How do you maintain a culture of winning?

Coach Eberhardt:  Out of eighteen athletes sixteen play soccer all year.  We don’t spend time redeveloping skills lost in the off-season.  We just keep building upon what they did during club season.

WillofaChampion:  Did the players choose to play all year or have you encouraged that, or maybe a little bit of both?

Coach Eberhardt:  A little bit of both.  For our 5^th or 6^th graders club is a good way to make sure they’re competing at a high level at a young age.  I encourage our varsity players to play club for the exposure to college coaches.

WillofaChampion:  How do you develop a team first attitude amongst your soccer players?

Coach Eberhardt:  Team first attitude starts with our expectations; high expectations combined with kids playing together all year result in a team concept because the kid’s are use to working together.  I also have a very consistent and fair approach to playing time.  If a player misses a practice without telling me why, no matter what their role, they may not play.  If a player doesn’t come to practice before a game they won’t start – even if it is the state semi-final.  There is no reason they can’t text or call me.  There is no excuse for not communicating.

WillofaChampion:  Have you had to do that with a leader or a captain?

Victory

Coach Eberhardt:  Not a captain, but with a starter.  I work to keep it consistent so we don’t have any unfair treatment of players.  But I will make moves to increase competition.  For example, I’ve brought JV players to the varsity level to push varsity players.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill physical and mental discipline in your athletes?

Coach Eberhardt:  At the end of a school year we have a meeting with the players where we set expectations for the coming season.  We want them to come to camp able to run two miles in under fourteen minutes.  We only have ten practices before our first game.  That is why they have to come to camp physically ready.

Mental discipline is developed through our style of play.  We are a pass and possession type of team.  All our practices start with a possession type drill.  We want to work with minimal touches to keep guys a little on edge.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Eberhardt:  I expect them to be players, especially in the big games.  Our team votes for the captains.  That does not include me or the other coaches.  The players vote for the captains so they naturally buy-in to them as our leaders.  I challenge our captains to show their leadership in the big games.  If the ball is in his area he has to get to it first.  If he has a shot he has to make it.  We’ve been blessed with good captains.  They tend to demand more from themselves than I do.  There are times I have to calm them down when they’ve made a mistake.  If someone is having problems, I expect them to pull that player aside and help him.  I expect the leaders to be the loudest on the field.  Basically, I expect them to lead us to a victory.

WillofaChampion:  Sometimes an athlete’s biggest concern when he has made a mistake is his coach yelling at him.  But you have to pick-up your leaders if they make a mistake.  How have you cultivated your leaders so that they’re more concerned about their mistake than you yelling at them?

Coach Eberhardt:  I started as the assistant coach.  When you’re the assistant you’re more of a friend and the head coach tends to be the tough guy.  But I have carried some of that more laid back attitude into my role as head coach.  If a player makes a mistake on the field I am not going to yell at him.  I let him deal with the mistake initially.  But I will pull him and talk with him to help him refocus.  I put him right back in the game.

WillofaChampion:  What if you have a player not giving effort on the field, how do you respond?

Coach Eberhardt:  I will pull him and talk with him.  Give him a second chance.  If he doesn’t get it together we switch him out.

WillofaChampion:  How do you develop leadership skills in your players?

State Championship Trophy

Coach Eberhardt:  I can identify the captains early.  I work with them as juniors to prepare them.  I have them talk with the team about the uniform or jerseys for next year.  They manage summer pick-up games.  So they start taking on that leadership role before the season starts.  I am blessed with them already being good leaders because of their families and club teams.  But some of it is our program.

WillofaChampion: Do you do anything to invest in the children that will join your team?

Coach Eberhardt:  Not yet.  We mainly wait until high school.  I do have JV and varsity try-outs together.  So if I see a sophomore that is good I can have him play against juniors and seniors to see how he may perform in that pressure situation.  Thanks to the help of my assistant coach, we were able to develop a spring training program for JV and Varsity.

WillofaChampion:  Is there anything else we haven’t discussed that is critical to a boy’s state championship soccer program?

Coach Eberhardt:  Don’t take things for granted.  Don’t take a game for granted.  But really, that comes back to consistency and playing every team at a high level.  If we’re consistently playing at a high level, we don’t have to worry about taking a team for granted.  If we consistently start with high intensity we will be successful.  As soon as the whistle blows we’re all over that team and hopefully score that first goal or two in the first five or ten minutes.

Coach Eberhardt played soccer for Truckee High School.  He became the assistant coach in 2008 and was named the head coach in 2011.  Coach Eberhardt is continuing the championship caliber program that started prior to his arrival.  Coach Eberhardt’s brother works with him as an assistant.

Interview:  March 2012

Head Hoover Girls Basketball Coach Donnie Quinn

To have a consistent team that is going to win state championships, players must have a level of passion for the team that goes beyond self-interest.

Donnie Quinn

Head Girls Basketball Coach

Hoover High School

2012 ESPN Fab 50 #8 and Maxpreps #12

Alabama 6A State Champions  2012  2010

Alabama 6A State Runners-up  2011  2009

West Monroe High School

USA Today #4 2004

Louisiana 5A State Champions 2004

Archbishop Shaw High School

Louisiana 5A Boys State Champions 1989

Picture courtesy of Coach Quinn

Coach Quinn:  Over the years, we have developed a tradition that hasn’t required us to put our mission in writing.  The girls know the mission from being around the tradition.   I like to start the fall of their freshman year.   The girls learn our style of servant leadership.  Ideally, we lift three days a week and shoot once a week, leaving a day for team building.  This time may include sharing of personal thoughts, devotionals, team work, sacrifice and discussion of leadership or things of that nature.  I like to use Christ as the example for leadership.  Chapter 2 of Philippians points out that though he was God, he still became a servant.  We draw comparisons with leadership styles such as a cattle prodder versus a shepherd.  A cattle prodder leads from behind and drives the cattle.  The shepherd leads from the front and guides the sheep.  The earlier in the girls’ career we start discussing those things the more the girls look forward to being a leader.  They understand leadership is a responsibility they will earn later in their careers.  They have to wait.  With leadership comes responsibility.  I once had a girl who laughed when I asked if she was ready to lead her team.  I put someone else in charge.  Next year, I think I will try something new and have players apply to be captain.  I want them to think even more about what it means to be a leader.  I want them to think about the experiences and skills they have developed that enable them to be our leader.  As a coach, you typically have an idea of who your leader(s) will be, but I want them to think about it.

A personal mission for me is to impact young people’s lives.  I spent a number of years working with different coaches at the high school and college level to learn how to win.  Like many young coaches I focused a lot on wins and losses.  But after a while you start to think about what you really want your legacy to be.  Wins and losses take a back seat to watching young people develop positive habits and make good decisions.  We love to see our former athlete’s with a zest for life because they’ve experienced success – a successful life made possible by a strong foundation developed, at least partially, through our program.  But for coaches it is a long road to get to this point – where you appreciate laying a foundation for a successful life for every player that extends beyond wins and losses.  My greater hope is to have a positive impact on their lives, both spiritually and morally.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect of your leaders?

Coach Quinn:  Being a team captain is not an easy position.  The leader serves as a partner to the coaching staff as well as a teammate.  They must draw a distinction between team and coach, and if they ever have to choose between the two, it better be with the coach.  I’ve had captains inform teammates that if anyone breaks a rule she will come to me without hesitation.  The captain’s allegiance is to the coach.  One captain called me at midnight to tell me when a player was out late with her boyfriend.  I got in my car and found her, tapped on the window, and took her home.  She said to me, “Let me guess, (Captain) called you.”  I told her, “Absolutely!”  That is what she said she would do and she should do!  But in the thirty three years I’ve been coaching there have not been many leaders like that captain.  (This particular captain led her team to a state championship) Teams with leaders like that win many games.  They tell you during a game who to pull out because of poor work ethic or concentration.  When we had a time-out, she would get on her knees and tell the girls what they needed to do better and she was right.  When you don’t have that outspoken leadership, you have a team that is quiet, where no one wants to push the button or be responsible.  Consequently, you struggle to keep a solid team effort.  As the coach, I shouldn’t be the leader of the team.  We need one of the girls to step up.  I will lead, but that isn’t what’s best for the team.

Coach Quinn with the Tanner sisters

WillofaChampion: Some leaders seem “born that way,” others seem to develop it.  Do you work to develop leadership skills in your players?

Coach Quinn:  Not with a systematic program or plan.  We take advantage of the moment. For example if most of the players aren’t working hard, I may pick the one player the team most admires and challenge her asking if she realizes her team isn’t playing hard.  Standing face to face with this player, she may respond, “yes, sir.” But I continue.  If she knows they’re not working hard, why isn’t she doing something about it?  She isn’t living up to her obligations.  I may put her on the line and run her.  Inevitably, her teammates will join her.  That situation is more about teaching younger players to follow and protect their captain.  If the captain is under pressure from me, the others don’t fall off as much because they care about her.  I talk to my captains a lot.  They share in decisions of what to wear, what music to listen to, where to eat, etc.  I take many things out of my hands and give it to them.  When I have an issue or concern I will have the captains meet with the team.  They may ask me what to say, but I tell them that they know the problem; they can hear the conversations in the locker-room and deal with it.  They can tell me what happened later if they need to.  I like giving them an opportunity to handle issues themselves.  I don’t have to be in the loop.  But if the captain tries and they don’t respond, then I will get in the loop.  They know it is a privilege and responsibility to be the captain.  Coaching is trial and error, you have to try and sometimes you get lucky.  Coaches have instincts they don’t even know they have.  A good coach, or leader, can feel or just know when to respond a certain way to guide the team.

WillofaChampion:  What do you do to cultivate a team first attitude amongst your girls?

Coach Quinn:  We strive to make everything we do true to the belief “the team is bigger than any player.”  One tool I use to cultivate a team first attitude is sarcasm.  When someone takes a bad shot I might stop everything and ask the rest of them “If she thinks she can score over three people when someone else is wide open; what does that tell you?”  (Of course, I am not looking at the one that shot the ball.  But you know what she is thinking.) I continue, “Either she is really good, or you’re really bad”.  So I am light-hearted and fun with it, but the point is made.  Another way we focus on the team concept is with our plays.  We work a lot on what we call “Wrap-around” passing.  Most teams’ backside defense isn’t great, no matter how good they are.  It is easy to catch the ball, draw the defense to yourself at the post, and then wrap-it around the baseline side to that player right behind you.  You can get a lot of baskets with that type play.  Our girls think we’re being sneaky.  It is a lot more fun to pass when you think you’re sneaky or you’re tricking the defender.  I use strategies I learned from football.  I tell the girls we’re doing football plays and they know we can trick the other team so they work at them.

 WillofaChampion:  How do you instill mental and physical discipline in your athletes?

Coach Quinn:  Physical discipline impacts the mental toughness.  Once you get tired, your mental capacity diminishes greatly.  You must have the physical endurance to get beyond physical debility.  I will challenge the team by asking them who is going to quit first.  Nobody wants to be that person.  Someone has to crack first.  I will challenge them with comments like “show me who will crack so when we’re in the fourth quarter I’ll know who not to play”.  Comments like that push the girls.  We refer to lack of mental toughness as “eggshells.”  We ask the girls if they’re waiting to crack and just spill their emotions all over the place.  Girls can be very tough they just don’t always know it.  The girls don’t know if I am really mad or if I’m just trying to crack them with those comments.  Throughout the course of the season I may get onto a girl to see if she will mope.  I ask her what she’d do if I’m only testing her.  What if you’ll never get to where you can handle it?  They don’t want me to see them crack.  It is like a war of wills.  They get thick skinned and deal with it.  One of the challenges I have is preparing our girls for the college level.  Most of our girls are going to play division one basketball.  So I tell them that I am preparing them for that level of competition and for coaches whose lives and jobs depend on winning.  They don’t coach for fun.  They HAVE to win.  A lot of my coaching style isn’t because I am mad but it is part of the process.  If I don’t prepare our girls for it they won’t survive.  Their parents are counting on it.

WillofaChampion:  How do you invest in the children that may join your program in the future?

Coach Quinn:  That is the biggest gap that most coaches allow to happen in their program.  Involving young kids is very important if you want to build your program.  Those young kids see you and they want to play for you.    Every school system has kids that will someday be in your program.  In West Monroe, we had summer camps and started opening the gyms on Saturday afternoons for kids to come and play.  We saw the number of kids playing ball increase significantly over three years. The city of Hoover has a great program.  A lot of the churches have Upward Basketball, the city has a league, and there are traveling teams.  If you’re a coach that is planning to stay somewhere for any length of time you’d be a fool not to develop a youth program.

WillofaChampion:  Anything we haven’t discussed that you believe is critical to developing a state championship caliber program?

Coach Quinn:  The kids must have an allegiance to the school.  Hoover is a transient city.  The kids that move in during high school don’t necessarily have any love for Hoover until they get involved in the program.  Developing that love for Hoover basketball and taking ownership is critical.  For schools with a solid tradition similar to ours, they have these system kids that have been working toward the opportunity to play for their school for years.  Those types of teams are just hard to beat.  To have a consistent team that is going to win state championships, players must have a level of passion for the team that goes beyond self-interest.  Our challenge is to develop the kind of program that makes that happen.   How do we bring those kids in and get them to be passionate about the school and playing basketball for Hoover as opposed to just playing basketball?  I don’t profess to have all the answers for that question.  I just know it is important.

Coach Quinn attended high school in New Orleans at a school with 4000 boys, where he played football and was on the wrestling team.  He transferred during his junior year to a private Christian school after becoming a Christian.   After college he started coaching football.  The basketball coach needed help.  He got involved and enjoyed it.  The smaller number of players made it easier to get close to individuals.  Once he chose to focus on basketball, he looked for the best coaches in Louisiana and spent the next six years working for and learning from these coaches.  When he was ready, Quinn began accepting head coach positions and coached at the college level as first assistant and defensive coordinator with the University of Louisiana Monroe for 5 years.  In 2007, his wife got a job offer in Birmingham, Alabama.  While visiting the area, Coach Quinn went to several schools around the area, exploring potential opportunities.  During his visit to Hoover High School, the AD told him the girl’s basketball coach had resigned the previous day and they would be looking for a coach. This was proof once again, God has a plan, and we just have to follow it!

Interview:  March 2012

Nicole Tanner

You can be the greatest player in America but not get a scholarship because of grades or an attitude.  You can also be a very average player but get a scholarship because you work hard and are dedicated.  So for anyone that gets a scholarship, you never know if or when it will come.  You have to persevere every day…

Nicole Tanner

Girls Basketball

Hoover High School

Scholarship Auburn University

All-State MVP and All-State Tournament Team

#12 Ranked Team in Nation MAXPreps   #8 Ranked Team in Nation ESPN

2009 State Runner-Up  2010 State Champion

2011 State Runner-Up  2012 State Champion

WillofaChampion:  Nicole, you are the President for your High School Habitat for Humanity, Member of FCA, Recipient of the 2010 Citizenship award – why do you do these things?

Nicole Tanner 2012

Nicole: I want to build solid character so I’ve joined the activities and organizations that will help me do that.  I like to help people a lot.  “Do for others before you do for you.”

WillofaChampion:  Why do you volunteer in a Special Needs classroom?

Nicole:  I have been working with special needs students since Kindergarten.  I love helping people that need it.  The students I assist are fun!  I get to be with them in some classes and lunch.

WillofaChampion:  Does your desire to care for others carry over into basketball?

Nicole:  Yes.  We all have one another’s back.  I love my teammates to the fullest.  If someone falls, we pick them up.  If they are angry during a game we talk to each other to calm down.  If anything is needed, we do it for each other.

WillofaChampion:  Does your faith play a role in your decisions concerning what you do and join?

2012 Alabama State Tournament MVP

Nicole:  Yes it does, a lot.  For example, I joined Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes and communities destroyed by the tornado.  We are helping everyone in our city get back on their feet.  FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is mainly a school thing our coaches put together.  We want to have a Christian based life and FCA helps us especially when we can’t go to church on Sundays.  All these things have served to create a special bond for our team.

WillofaChampion:  Did your team serve others to help create a bond amongst the team or was the bond an unexpected positive consequence?    

Nicole:  Our team chemistry is natural.   Each individual on our team is a wonderful person.  I have never been closer to anyone on any other team.  We are social and love to be around each other.  That results in good chemistry on and off the court.

WillofaChampion:  How long have you been playing basketball?

Nicole:  I have been playing 11 years.  At first I played only to get a scholarship for college.  But in 7^th grade I started loving to play.

The Tanner family: Tyrese, Tracy, Teresa, and Nicole

WillofaChampion:  Why do you think Auburn University offered you a scholarship?

Nicole:  They like my overall potential as a person and basketball player.  As a basketball player they like my skills and ability to play inside or outside and handling the ball.

WillofaChampion:  Is Auburn your “dream” school?

Nicole:  I have always liked Auburn.  I never really had a dream school.  But I love the atmosphere of Auburn from the fan base to the coaches and players.  Playing with my sister (Tyrese Tanner) at Auburn will be “icing on the cake”.  But I would’ve chosen Auburn even if she wasn’t there.

2012 State Champions!

WillofaChampion:  What has been one of your greatest challenges as a basketball player and what have you done to overcome it?

Nicole:  My greatest challenge is being consistent.  To overcome that challenge we analyze games to see where I need to get better.  Then I know what to work on every practice.  During practice I work on doing things right repeatedly.  I want it to come naturally which requires lots of repetition.

WillofaChampion:  Have you had to do the “extra” to earn your success? That is extra time practicing, running, lifting, etc? Or has it been more natural for you?

Nicole:  I definitely have worked extra.  Until last year, I always played up an age group in AAU. I worked with other players and my mom on weekends.  The weekend has always been a practice day for me.  Basketball has been year round for me for years.

WillofaChampion:  Did you or a coach have to seek the scholarship or did the colleges find you?

Nicole:  Truthfully, I don’t know.   My sister is there and I knew they might look at me because we both play for Hoover.  But I don’t know if I was recommended to them or not.  It is truly a blessing that I am able to get a scholarship at all.

WillofaChampion:  Have many other schools offered you a scholarship?

Nicole:  Yes; many SEC schools.  My top choices were Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas and Auburn.

Tyrese Tanner, Coach Quinn, Nicole Tanner (Coach Quinn is the head girl's basketball coach for Hoover High School)

WillofaChampion:  When you’ve gone through challenging times, who do you talk with to help encourage you?

Nicole:  My mom.  She has been at every level of basketball.  I also talk with my sister because she has been where I am going.  She can give me good input on what to do or how to do things.

WillofaChampion:  What was it like the day you were told you were getting a scholarship?

Nicole:  Like a kid in a candy store!  I experienced a since of relief and joy.

WillofaChampion:  Why?

Nicole:  Because no one ever really knows if they’re going to get a scholarship.  You can be the greatest player in America but not get a scholarship because of grades or an attitude.  You can also be a very average player but get a scholarship because you work hard and are dedicated.  So for anyone that gets a scholarship, you never know if or when it will come.  You have to persevere every day to make sure you earn one.

WillofaChampion:  What impact has following your dream and earning it had on your life?

Nicole:  Anything I put my mind to I can achieve.  If I want to do something I can.

WillofaChampion:  Other athletes reading this article may want a scholarship, what advice do you have for them?

Nicole:  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do what you want to do.  If there is something in your heart you want to achieve, then go out and achieve it.  Work on it every single day and never let up.

Nicole was voted to the Alabama/Mississippi All Star Team.  Because of Nicole’s maturity, she is sometimes referred to as “Big Mom” or “Big Sis” because she corrects others if they say or do something they shouldn’t.

Interview:  February 2012

Craig Ewing

We select sophomore, junior, and senior captains.  The idea is for the older captains to train and guide the younger to maintain a high level of leadership.

Craig Ewing

Head Boys and Girls Soccer Coach

St Thomas Aquinas High School

Kansas Boys’ Soccer 5A State Champions

 2010  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004*  2003*  1999  1996  1995  1994 1993  1992

NSCAA and ESPN National Champions 2009 & 1994

Kansas Girls’ Soccer 5A State Champions

2011  2010  2007  2006  2005*  2000  1999  1996*  1995*  1994*  1993*

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a mission, vision, or purpose statement?

2009 NSCAA and ESPN Boy's Soccer National Champions

Coach Ewing:  We have a theme every year.  We do have a tradition of how we do things that is more of an implicit mission statement than a direct one.  For example, we start girls’ soccer in about a month.  Our theme will be “Field of Dreams”.  So everything we do this season will tie into that concept; we develop goals with our parents and players, make t-shirts – all these things will be centered on our theme.  I don’t have one mission statement for all seasons.  I want it flexible.

WillofaChampion:  How do you choose the theme each season?

Coach Ewing:  After preseason try-outs our captains will brain-storm their expectations for the season.  Our coaching staff will do the same thing.  Then actually our parents do something similar.  We mesh everyone’s response to see where we overlap.  That will set a mission for the season and we have now developed a measurement.  We check throughout the season to see if we are achieving that mission.

WillofaChampion:  How did you create and then maintain a culture of winning?

Coach Ewing:  We didn’t start this way; my first season we won one game in boys’ soccer and two games in girls’ soccer.  It starts with having the expectation that you are going to be successful.  (Our first theme was “The Future is so bright you gotta wear shades.”) If at first it doesn’t translate into wins there are other ways to be successful.  Eventually we developed a cohesive team chemistry that also helped us win on the field.  It took about two or three years to develop that winning culture.  But, for the most part, it has been here ever since.  Occasionally we have a .500 season, but usually both boys and girls are more successful than that.  We treat the boys and girls the same and we use the same systems.

WillofaChampion:  Has it been more challenging to maintain that culture of winning or to create it?

Coach Ewing:  They are different.  Some people think “if it ain’t broke don’t change it” but I do think you have to adjust things within your system.  If you try to keep status quo you are likely to drop back.  We’re looking for something each season that is going to be a little bit different.  That is the key to maintaining.  That is a little harder than creating it.

WillofaChampion:  What have you done to cultivate a team first attitude amongst your two teams?

Coach Ewing:  We do things together.  That is one of the most important things we do.  We play things like soccer golf together.  We do service projects together.  The girls do a PinkOut for cancer.  The boys do a TroupOut for charity, raising money for calling cards for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Another thing we do differently is hold “forums” for our teams.  Four times a season instead of practice we go into a classroom and either watch a video and/or talk about issues.  These sessions have really served to show that the team comes before the individual.  That is always one of our goals in those sessions – to reward and talk about things that make the team better.  Rather than talk about individual accolades.

WillofaChampion:  Do you find time to talk with individuals about their personal goals or let them do that on their own?

Coach Ewing:  We remind them to set goals for games.  Then one of our assistants encourages them to think about those goals before the game.  But we also work with them on their goals.  For example, if they’ve made a mistake or are struggling with something we will work with them within the framework goal setting to improve.  So setting goals before a game is part of our system.  The kids also have a system for reminding themselves of their goals during a game.  It started about ten or fifteen years ago.  As you may recall Michael Jordan used to remind himself not to make a certain mistake during a game, and when he committed that error he snapped a band around his wrist.  That has taken on different forms during the years but we still have players using it.  Our kids will put letters, symbols or such on their hands to serve that same purpose.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill physical and mental discipline in your athletes?

Coach Ewing:  We have a shared vision: for example we have agreed on a way to attack the goal.  So they are disciplined in their approach to working on the attack: it is what we’ve agreed to do together.  And we have many shared visions. That does build a mental discipline.  Also, physically we have a fitness requirement they have to make and then maintain during the season.

WillofaChampion:  Not to be sexist, but I am curious and would guess you get asked this a lot, do you observe a difference in your approach to physical and mental discipline between the boys and girls?

Coach Ewing:  I do get asked that question quite a bit.  But we really do have the same exact program and system for the boys and girls.  Between the two the game does move at a different pace and there is a different skill set.  But we play a very similar game.  The main difference between boys and girls is the forum.  It is much more important in the girls game compared to the boys because the relationships are different.  Girls will play better if they have better relationships.  It is important with boys, just not as important.  A boy can play next to a guy he doesn’t like and the team can still be successful.  But sometimes that just will not work in the girl’s game.  So we spend more time building chemistry with the girls and we may have one more forum for the girls.  The girl’s interrelationships play out in the game.

WillofaChampion:  Does a guy need to respect a teammate to play with him, even if he doesn’t “like” him? 

Coach Ewing:  He has to value the guy which is a form of respect.  That is why our forums are very important on the boy’s side.  The boys can coexist with bigger differences in outlooks on life than girls typically do.  But the boys need a level of respect or it won’t work.  There are boy’s teams with bad chemistry because of the poor interrelationships.  But the boy’s type of respect for one another that is necessary to be successful can be different than the type of respect necessary to make a girl’s team successful.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Ewing:  Their biggest function is liaison between player and coach.  Then making positive things happen when the coaches aren’t there.  If our captains can’t get things done without us, we aren’t going to be very good.  We name captains early in the summer.  Our captains will create the velocities and work-outs for the summer.  They lead the brainstorming for the goals for the season.  They bring issues to the coaches.

WillofaChampion:  Do you work to develop leadership skills in your players?

Coach Ewing:  We select sophomore, junior, and senior captains.  The idea is for the older captains to train and guide the younger to maintain a high level of leadership.  The younger ones learn from the older ones.  I think that is one way we pass on our tradition.  We didn’t used to do this because we thought only seniors should be captains.  But the last eleven or twelve years we have had at least two from a younger class.

WillofaChampion:  Do you run camps or do anything to reach out to athletes that may join your program?

Coach Ewing:  I think that is one of the most important things we do.  We have a grade school and middle school camp in the summer.  It is led by both our junior varsity and varsity athletes.  It is good for everyone.  When older kids teach they understand concepts better and learn about themselves.  The grade school kids get to interact with our older players and that encourages them to be part of our tradition.  Kids don’t come to see me or our coaches; they come to be with the athletes playing on Friday and Saturday nights.

WillofaChampion:  Is there anything else we haven’t discussed you think is critical to developing a state championship caliber program?

Coach Ewing:  You need a plan for interacting with parents.  Whether you plan on it or not they will have an impact.  They are a big part of the program.  The parents want to participate by serving the team breakfast, sponsoring charity events, etc.  So we have a group email and an up-to-date web-page.  We consider communication with parents necessary for a good program.  We tell both our players and our parents what we expect from them at the beginning of the year.  We expect them to support all kids in the program; we expect them to be positive with all kids in the program; to not talk negatively in the stands about another player.  We all know these things sometimes happen so we try to head it off.

WillofaChampion:  What a great idea, did you come up with that?

Coach Ewing:  Most of my stuff I didn’t come up with on my own.  I would say one of the most important things I ever did was work for the Kauffman Foundation in 1992.  After some of the Kansas City Royals had used drugs, Mr. Kauffman created this foundation and I got to work there for a year.  One of their ideas was to do a preseason meeting with parents to give them expectations.  That was the genesis for what we do, but I’ve tweaked it.

WillofaChampion:  How are you able to balance running two state championship caliber programs?

Coach Ewing:  Two separate seasons; boys in the fall and girls in the spring.  We delicate a lot of authority; I have three to four very good coaches helping me on the varsity level.  That is more than most schools so we’re fortunate.  We also ask parents to volunteer to do things a coach might typically do.  We do have a very interactive group between our parents, players, and coaches.  It is still a lot of time.  If you want to be successful you have to put in a lot of hours.

WillofaChampion:  How did you become coach of both programs?

Coach Ewing:  The school opened 24 years ago.  I was a brand new head coach somewhere else.  They asked me if I was interested.  I was intrigued at starting everything anew: coaching and teaching in the English department.  In addition to another activity I coached both the boys and girls that first year because we only had 22 faculty members.  After four or five years of coaching both the school offered to get another coach so I could focus on one team.  But I enjoyed it and thought they fed into one another.  I didn’t want to give one up.  Initially I didn’t want both.  But to just get the school started many of us were doing extra duties.  It was just what we had to do.  After four or five years it was evident one program reinforced the other though they were both at different times of the year.  So I did both.  We do a lot of activities together.  I think both made each other better because they had a common program with common goals.

* = Boys Division 6A in 2003 and 2004

* = Girls Division 6A in 2005; Divisions 6-1A : 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996

Interview:  January and February 2012

Coach Ewing was the NSCAA National Girls’ Soccer Coach of the year in 1995 and 2005.  He was the NSCAA National Boys Soccer Coach of the Year in 2009.  In 2000 he was the NFHA Soccer Coach of the Year.

Sue Curnias

You focus on skill, you focus on the play, and you focus on what you need to do… Focus on that and not winning.  If you win, fine, if you lose, fine.  We just want to focus on competing.

Susan Curnias

Head Girls Track and Field Coach

William H. Hall High School

Connecticut High School Class L & Open State Champions 1986

State Runner-up 1980, 1990, 2003, 2004, 2005

Class L Cross Country State Champions 1987

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a purpose, mission, or a vision statement?

Coach Curnias:  Our school’s mission is: Hall High School prepares all students to be educated, responsible citizens who contribute collaboratively, independently, and innovatively to a dynamic global community.  I am in sync with it.  My mission is to help every athlete reach her potential athletically, socially and emotionally.  I believe high school sports should educate the total athlete and be totally aligned with the high school educational philosophy; not professional sports’ philosophy.

WillofaChampion:  How did you create and maintain a culture of winning?

Coach Curnias:  I don’t coach to win.  I don’t even know my record.  Winning is not a priority.  When I won the National High School Coach of the year I didn’t even know I was being considered.  We have one hundred girls on our track team.  I think high school coaches are instrumental in developing high quality kids now; and adults in the future.  I coach for each team to be the best they can be.  I expect the same for all kids.  I believe we indulge our blue chip athletes.  They tend to be glorified too much in high school and college.  That is counterproductive and they should be treated just like all other athletes.  I coach athletes to be their best.  When we work out we’re enduring the same training regimen but at different paces and intervals.  But we’re together.  They all feel like they’re an integral part of the team.  I believe it is critical that they all feel that way.  Blue Chippers need to understand and appreciate the hard work of the lower achieving athletes.  Our team works hard to recognize personal best.  After a meet any athlete that achieved a personal best gets in front of the team and receives applause.  It doesn’t matter if they ran a 23 minute mile.  If those 23 minutes were better than the 24 minutes they ran two weeks ago they get the same recognition as the runner that ran a 5:07 mile.  It is really critical we recognize and celebrate every kid’s success.

2011 National High School Track and Field Coach of the year

We also believe it is important to do some form of community service.  Last year we raised money for breast cancer and the American Heart Association.  We make sure we give.  I am concerned our society is giving the wrong message to athletes and encouraging athletes to be self-absorbed.  Too much attention focused on AAU champions and premiere teams contributes to this problem.  I believe athletes should consider others and how to help those in need.  We strive to implement the values my generation was raised with.

WillofaChampion:  People often consider track and field an individual sport.  What have you done to cultivate a team-first attitude amongst your athletes?

Coach Curnias:  I think a team-first attitude is hard to achieve even for “team” sports these days.  The first or most important thing is the team.  Not that we won’t take into consideration the individual, but it is “team first” just like “family first”.  The individual’s goals and objectives must be in sync with the team’s goals and objectives.  We have over one hundred kids so we take attendance every day.  Our athletes must be present and working hard.  It doesn’t matter what they might place at a meet.  They will have the same work habits regardless their level of ability.  They find out that when they work hard they feel better about themselves.  They’re all working hard; though their levels of hard work are different.  For example, we may do ten 400’s and some are taking a two minute break between each one and others are taking longer.  But their doing the same workout so they feel good about themselves and can commensurate with one another.  We coach all the kids.  It is work in track and field; it is a lot of work.  We keep it really consistent.  I share a lot of leadership with the captains.  Last year we had four captains.  We break the team up into four groups.  Each group is led by a captain with an assistant.  The captains get around to all the stretches and check in with all the members.  Since Track and Field is in the spring we get basketball players, soccer players, swimmers, runners, they all come together.  We get a lot kids from different economic backgrounds as well.  That makes for a great dynamic and diverse group in experience and ability.  In 39 year I’ve learned to deal with what we get.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill physical and mental discipline in your athletes?

Coach Curnias:  We talk about those things.  The harder they work the more confident they will become.  They learn to work hard.  I don’t really care what place they get, I care that they go out there and compete.  If they win but haven’t competed or given their best effort, the win doesn’t really matter.  Track and Field is great in that we can measure how they are performing.  For example, a runner competing in the 400 gets split times so we can measure their performance by monitoring those split times.  They all have goals and objectives even for practice.  Athletes perform like they practice.  If you have a good system in place then theoretically coaches shouldn’t need to attend the meet or game because we have taught the student-athlete how to perform.  But performing can be hard for some kids.  That is why if you yell at a kid for not winning you may hurt his or her ability to perform the next time.  You can have kids with a lot of ability but don’t know how to perform because they can’t think of it objectively.  We work to make it so concrete that they are not emotional when they are out there competing.  You must focus if you’re going to prepare for an activity objectively.  You focus on skill, you focus on the play, and you focus on what you need to do.  So they think about where they should be and when.  Focus on that and not winning.  If you win, fine, if you lose, fine.  We just want to focus on competing.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Curnias:  They need to be role models.  Role models in how they conduct themselves whether they are at school or in the community.  They need to be respectful of others.  It is an honor to be the captain.  They represent the school and our program.  Our program is on the map in Connecticut so you don’t put that shirt on unless you have the best behavior.  We’re not perfect by a long shot but that is our goal.

But in regards to our team, I want the kids that are not perfect.  Too many programs are constantly kicking kids off of the team that need to be on so they can learn to behave.  We need to change their behavior.  We should take the kids that don’t get it, that aren’t productive in school or anywhere else, we need to help them become productive members of society.  If we don’t do it here, where and when will it happen?  Our leadership structure is designed to take kids to a higher level.  This is our mission. We welcome all our high school students to our team.  We also utilize a big brother/big sister type of mentoring program to help our athletes find mentors and be successful.

WillofaChampion:  What do you do to build leadership skills in your student-athletes?

Coach Curnias:  Once one class demonstrates strong leadership the next group wants to be like them.  We work with our captains.  We have a captains meeting in September where we do a workshop on issues.  Go over their roles.  What their relationship is like with the coach and how to not undermine us.  These requirements are only if they want to be a captain.  When a captain steps into this role, then they have responsibilities.  If they don’t want those responsibilities, then don’t be captain.

WillofaChampion:  Do you do any camps to reach out to young athletes that may join your program?

Coach Curnias:  We did work with the middle school athletes.  But the funding was cut.  But we did like it when we had it.

WillofaChampion:  Anything we haven’t discussed that you think is critical to developing a state championship caliber program?

Coach Curnias:  I really think it is the de-emphasis of the championship and winning that makes them successful.  We emphasize doing your best.  Be the best you can be for that day and that is all we can expect from you.  If they have talent, then they will be in the state championship.  If they don’t, then as long as they are improving, that is the key.  This applies to all sports.  That is our focus; do the best you can for the day and compete.  I don’t want to hear, “I could’ve done better.”  Don’t let that happen.  Kids are often doing the best they can yet they’re overly critical of themselves.  They are doing the best they can emotionally and physically.  They have to go step by step.  They need to grow and they will be successful; if not in sports then in life.

Coach Curnias is the only woman selected by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association as coach of the year in three sports: Gymnastics 1981, Cross Country 1988, Track and Field 1990.  She was the 2011 National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year for Girls Track and Field.  She was inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005.

Interview:  January and February 2012

Left - Baile Winslow 2011 State Champion. Middle – Coach Ryan Best. - Right - Jordan Chael -2011 Regional and League Champion from the 2011 Season

“They usually put the team first because they make such close friendships.“

Ryan Best

Head Golf Coach

St Thomas Aquinas

Kansas High School Division 5A Girls Golf State Champions

2002  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011

Kansas High School Division 5A Boys Golf State Champions

2007  2008  2011

Coach Best played basketball and golf for Benedictine University in Kansas.  He earned a Masters Degree from the University of Saint Mary.  He started teaching and coaching at his high school alma mater but left to become a professional golf instructor.  He missed teaching and coaching and decided to return.  St Thomas Aquinas

"Team 09" - Kansas 5A State Champions for the 3rd year in a row.

High School had a Theology teaching position and a coaching opportunity.  Coach Best applied and took the job in 1997.  His initial coaching position was in both basketball and boy’s golf.  He took over the girl’s golf

program in 1999.

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a purpose or a mission statement for your student-athletes?

Coach Best:  Absolutely.  We have three goals that I would consider our mission.  The first goal is to have fun.  There is no reason for them to join the team if they don’t enjoy it.  The second are individual goals.  Our athletes set goals right down to the individual practices.  The third are team goals.  We talk about our team goals throughout the season.  They write their goals down.  If they accomplish their goals we congratulate them and if they don’t we talk about why not.  We work to align the individual and team goals.  I work to understand their talent and ability while striving to motivate and inspire them to achieve their personal goals.

WillofaChampion:  Was St Thomas’s golf program this successful prior to your arrival?

Ali Kruse (2010) - (70, -2 under) individual Kansas 5A State champion and leading member of the record setting 2010 team championship (Team score 303) for the 4th year in a row. The 2010 Saints placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd individually.

Coach Best:  Yes.  The girls had won two state championships prior to my arrival.  When we took over I inherited five very good seniors.  Then we had a girl that eventually played for the University of Kansas.  So from 2002 on the program just kept stepping up.  The players have passed along the tradition and expectations.  The boys are different in that there are a lot more players and therefore a lot more competitors.  On top of that, Kansas is one of only four states in which the state championship golf meet is only one day.  With four or five good teams it can be a real roll of the dice who will win in just one day.  Our boys finished state runners-up two or three times in a row prior to my arrival.  We took second again my first year.  We ended up placing second five times in a row.  So the programs expectations were set.  We are fortunate to be in a school that has high expectations in all sports.  Our athletes gain confidence just knowing they’re expected to do well.  So I tried to not mess up what was here and build on it.  Try to find the strength of the players and keep it rolling.

WillofaChampion:  So to maintain a winning culture you sought to build upon the foundation that had already been laid?

"OP Champs" - Saint Thomas Aquinas wins the overall Varsity and JV competition at the city championship in 2011

Coach Best:  Exactly.  At first you think you don’t want to mess this up because this team has a history of doing well.  You know you will get good players.  Especially as you have more success, players that are good will come to your school to play for you.  You don’t want to let them down.  What are their strengths to build upon?  You look for kids with good character so you avoid bad apples that can ruin a season.  If your leaders have good character then the younger ones will know that tradition and keep it going.  I have been accused of being too tough.  But you have to make it clear you won’t tolerate infractions.  I tell players they can follow the rules and play or do their own thing and not play.  In all my years I’ve only had to dismiss two players.

WillofaChampion:  Some think of golf as an individual sport.  Do you work to intentionally build a team first attitude amongst your golfers?

Coach Best:  That is a good question.  We lost five seniors from the 2010 team so having that team-first attitude going into this season was a big concern.  We start with discussing how to take care of the little things; which then naturally leads to focusing on goals.  They develop both personal and team goals.  We check their goals weekly to make sure they’re working to get better.  This makes the team better.  But we have had players that emphasize their personal goals seemingly over team goals.  You hope to always have players that are team oriented first, then concerned with their own game second, but that is not always the case.  Most players are happy if the team does well even if they do not.  They usually put the team first because they make such close friendships.

WillofaChampion:  How do you develop physical and mental discipline in your golfers?

Gianna Misenhelter winning the 5A Kansas State Championship for the 3rd time in a row

Coach Best:  We need to improve on the physical part.  Golfers don’t traditionally do any strength training though that is changing with the Tiger Woods era.  Our players do train on their own.  Some have a trainer or go to the gym.  We focus on getting rest and eating right.  But we don’t do a lot with physical discipline.  The mental part is different.  I have read numerous books myself.  I have a computer file full of things for them to read.  Every Friday we go through thirty minutes to an hour of golf psychology.  We cover various things all related to the mental game.  We discuss mental aspects such as how to think through each shot to how to fight through a bad round.

WillofaChampion:  Do you mind sharing some of the books?

"AlexandGianna" - left - Gianna Misenhelter (2009) now plays for Kansas State University and was the 3 time Kansas 5A State Champion in 2007 (undefeated), 2008, and 2009. Right - Alexa Osbourn (2009) now plays for Savannah School of Art and Design.

Coach Best:  Sure, I really like books by Dr. Rotella.  Golf is not a game of perfect (Rotella) is a great one.

Some of these books have religious ties to golf.

Golf in the Spirit: and lessons for the journey (Peck),

Wooden on Leadership (John Wooden),

And most recently – Seven Days in Utopia; golf’s sacred journey (Cook)

WillofaChampion:  Does discussing God and religious aspects of life give you an edge over public school coaches uncomfortable doing that?

Coach Best:  I feel like the answer is yes.  The problem is I have never been in the public school system.  I have been in the parochial schools all my life.  So I don’t know I can address the struggles public school coaches have.  But we pray before tournaments.  Our girls have developed a community of faith as a team.  I do think that is an advantage.  We are able to tie all things golf into all things spiritual into all things character.  I really believe being able to use faith, and talk about faith throughout coaching is a major key to our success.  I feel at its core, the game of golf has a very spiritual feel to it.

WillofaChampion:  Do you do anything to intentionally develop leadership skills in your players?

"Joe" - Now playing for Iowa - Joseph Winslow was a 3 time individual 5A State Champion in 2011 (*66, -6 under), 2009 (*66, -4 under), 2008 (*68, -2 under).

Coach Best:  First that I do expect them to step-up and be leaders.  We discuss what a leader looks like.  I have never done captains.  I don’t believe that title means anything without the action.  If you’re going to be a captain then become one by leading this team with your actions not a title.  I also want kids to grow into a leadership role.  A golfer may not take a leadership role if we have already chosen captains.  If you’re called to lead, then do it.  I am open to taking our team to a camp where we can work on developing leadership skills.  We talk about leadership quite a bit every week, but we have not attended a camp of any kind yet.

WillofaChampion:  What things are you looking for so that when a player steps up you know he or she is a leader?

Coach Best:  Being one of the best communicators on the team,  being so sincerely positive it is contagious, vocal in order to help teammates remember important activities or events, constantly looking to help others, and being one of the hardest workers.  There are exceptions.  For example, what if you have a quieter leader that is

Jordan Chael (2012)

always the first one to practice and the last to leave, works hard, gets great grades, and does everything you ask, they can lead in more than one way.  I let them know I appreciate them and they are leaders.  Whether they know it or not, the others notice.

WillofaChampion:  You mentioned that one of your jobs is to motivate your players.  Why do you think it is your job to do that?

Coach Best:  My experience with high school kids is that even the most motivated player is going to have a bad day or even week.  He or she can be down for any reason.  They may need a check-in or a swift kick in the butt or something.  I don’t know who else that would come from other than the coach.  People may think kids should motivate themselves.  That is ideal.  But I don’t know if any coach can say that every player on his team is self-motivated.  Now on the other hand some kids are just lazy so no matter what I do to motivate him or her it won’t affect them.  That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.  I have many basic motivational quotes such as, “if it is to be, it is up to me.” My high school coach gave us lots of quotes.  I would read them and it motivated me.  My players have told me they will read them before a tournament.  I am a pretty laid back person, but if I was never excited for their success, or winning a tournament I think it would be hypocritical.  I believe you have to lead by example.  If you want them to be motivated you need to lead by example.  Kids are motivated; they won’t work hard if they’re not motivated.

WillofaChampion:  What component have we not discussed that is critical to a championship program?

Coach Best:  Persevering.  Not giving up.  You will have issues.  Whether it is parents or issues on the team don’t let someone else turn your attitude around.  You will have people disagree with you.  It is easy to quit.  Persevere.  If you believe in what you are doing, then keep your convictions and you’ll find that people will start to put their faith in you.  Players, parents, and the whole community will begin to believe in your system and philosophy.

Interview:  August 2011

The individual must sacrifice for the team

We had a passion for the game with a desire to practice.

Dave Pishkur

Head Baseball Coach

Andrean High School

Indiana High School 3A State Champions

2005  2009  2010

Runners-up 2004

WillofaChampion:  Do you have a purpose, mission, or vision statement?

Coach Pishkur:  The players develop a covenant.  The commitments in the covenant revolve around spirituality, academics, community service, and baseball.  They start with the previous year’s list and reflect on the previous teams’ commitments.  But they work to make it their own.  They do this with the idea of becoming a complete athlete.  We hold them accountable to the covenant.

WillofaChampion:  What did you do to create and maintain a culture of winning?

Coach Pishkur:  I was blessed our first year.  I took over a team that was 9-9.  Andrean didn’t have a tradition in baseball.  We were a football school, basketball school, hockey school, just about any sport but baseball school.  Fortunately, when I took over we had athletic kids.  All they needed was a little encouragement and direction.  We had players like Dan Dakich, Bill Mueller, and Jim Bistrow – just a great group of guys with the same competitive nature I had.  We had a passion for the game with a desire to practice.  We won 21 games and the sectional tournament.  That was the foundation upon which we built.  That first year started our winning culture.  Those players bought into what we did.  The bottom line is you need a coach and players with tremendous work ethic and a passion to compete.

WillofaChampion:  What have you done to cultivate a team-first attitude amongst your players?

Coach Pishkur:  I am a Bo Schembechler guy.  I go back to his 1969 season and Bo’s mantra: The team, the team, the team.  The individual must sacrifice for the team.  Bunting is a sacrifice.  To illustrate sacrifice we will talk about the ultimate sacrifice of all man-kind which was Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross.  We’re sacrificing our at bat for the sake of the team.  We also emphasize what our team does.  We hustle.  All nine guys hustle on and off the field because that is how our team gets on and off the field.  Before practice there is an activity we do called “The Game”.  It is a benchmark for who is competitive and who can handle pressure.  But it serves to make us a better team.  The team always supersedes the individual.  Obviously we like kids to get individual accolades and awards because that helps them and the program.  But the bottom line is what we do as a team.  I don’t know if what we do is different than others but we definitely adhere to Bo Schembechler’s mantra.

WillofaChampion:  How do you instill mental and physical discipline in your players?

Coach Pishkur:  Everything we do requires discipline.  For example, if practice starts at 3:00 then be there by 3:00.  If you’re a second late there will be a consequence.  We hang practice schedules in the dugout that explain each player’s role and responsibility for practice including where and when.  Players have responsibilities for working the field before and after games.  After a game the pitchers have ten foul poles.  The infield rakes and runs.  Everything we do has to be first class: practice, video analysis, raking the mounds or infield, it must all be first class.  Physically we’re going to outwork our opponents.  If we’re not better than them then we’re going to out work them.  Our weight training program has to be first class to outwork our opponents.  Everything we do is for the sake of the program and it is important.

WillofaChampion:  What do you expect from the captains or leaders of your team?

Coach Pishkur:  As I get older the captains responsibility increases – especially with communication.  The captains must be leaders.  Before a game we will go down the left field line and I address the team.  Then it is the captain’s job to do the prayer and talk about whatever they want.  I really don’t know what they say.  I am assuming that whatever one guy did, it is being passed down year to year.  After games, and practices, the captains meet with the players and give a little 30 second review of what we did well and what we need to work on tomorrow.  Sometimes I have them give my message to the team.    I expect captains to take ownership.  For example, if we have to dig out second base, I won’t call the whole team, I call the captains.  They have a lot of responsibilities without a lot of fringe benefits.  They become another coach at a different level.  They get my message across to their teammates without me saying it.  They talk everyday whether it be at weight-lifting, practice, or the end of a game.

WillofaChampion:  Do you develop the leadership you’re looking for or is it more about finding the right person or both?

Coach Pishkur:  Both.  Families pay $6800 to send their child to Andrean.  So they’re invested.  Many players come ready to lead by example.  We get great kids in our program.  But we’re still developing and teaching leadership and life skills.  We do community outreach like “Challenger Baseball”.  It is for kids that are physically or mentally unable to play baseball.  For just one day a year these kids come on the field with our players and talk with them, or play catch, some may swing a bat.  They just interact for an hour.  We did a fundraiser for an alumnus that passed away from cancer.  Baseball is important and we want to win.  But there is a lot more to life and we must remember that.

WillofaChampion:  Do you run camps or anything for young kids that might eventually join your program?

Coach Pishkur:  We have a summer camp that is an Andrean camp.  We invite 8 year olds to incoming freshmen.  In the winter-time the US Baseball Academy runs a six week camp here and they take care of everything.  We supply the coaches but they do everything else.  Between the two we interact with about 230 kids that have some interest in baseball.

WillofaChampion:  You mentioned earlier that players need a passion to compete.  Some people think you can’t motivate the unmotivated.  But there is also the fact that once even Michael Jordan didn’t want to play basketball.  How do you handle motivating the kids that want to play but need the encouragement?

Coach Pishkur:  We do a lot of stories with examples.  One play-off game Michael Jordan had a 103 degree fever.  Most guys would not have played.  Michael did and scored 63 points.  We talk about Ted Williams who was hitting .401 the last day of the season.  His manager tells him he doesn’t have to play that day to ensure he hits .400.  Ted refuses because that isn’t how he wants to go out.  He plays and goes 6 for 8 on the day and finishes the season .406.  We show our players three rounds of the Mahammad Ali and Joe Frazier fight.  We watch as those guys just go after each other competing, competing, competing.  We schedule opponents that others won’t schedule.  We play bigger schools.  We go to Illinois to play five or six good catholic schools.  We play at Notre Dame, Benedictine, UIC, when you’re in that environment it is hard to not compete.  Even in practice we monitor things to keep kids competing.  We hold contest like every time you touch the ball you get a point whether you catch it or not.  Kids dive to just touch the ball to get a point.  We do similar creative contests with batting practices just to motivate them to do their best.  You get one or two to buy-into these contests and then the others will jump in.  Anything I can do that will measure competition is important.  But it is also important to show the Michael Jordan success stories.  They can emulate those guys.  We probably will use Jose Reyes when we do the Ted Williams story this year.  Jose was the batting crown leader for the National League this past year.  The last game of the year he sat out so he would win the batting crown.  Well that is totally opposite of what Ted Williams did.  We will ask them who they want to emulate Jose Reyes or a Ted Williams.  How do you want to be remembered and who do you emulate?  We give them stories and quotes to peak their interest to get them to work harder.  We also point out players that really worked hard that day or that week.  We may give them a shirt.  We did that last year.  We gave the guy that worked the hardest a shirt.  Some kids just wanted to wear that shirt for a day so they worked hard for it.

WillofaChampion:  Anything we haven’t discussed you think is critical to developing a state championship caliber program?

Coach Pishkur:  Coaches need good kids and to surround themselves with great coaches.  Then give those coaches the autonomy they need.  Take ownership of your baseball field.  If you have a bad looking baseball field you have a bad baseball program.  If you have a good looking maintained baseball field that says something about the quality of your program.  It is hard to maintain a field.  You usually have no one helping you.  We cut our own grass.  We drag and edge our field.  The only thing maintenance does on our field is stripe the foul lines.  We do everything else.  That is part of ownership.  To be a good program, to be a state championship team, that is important.  Players have to understand they must build on what they inherited.  They may not have gone through tough times like not having a field.  The field was already there for them.  They have to upgrade that field.  Then they have to upgrade their success on the field.  If they weren’t the first state champion could they be the fourth state champion but be the first team that is ranked nationally?  Can they be the first to play the toughest schedule with the best record?  You must challenge them all the time and be relentless with them.  Unfortunately players today cannot be multisport athletes.  I tell them to play as many sports as they can their freshmen year so they realize that for themselves.  If they play two sports, that isn’t so bad if one is football.  Football isn’t that bad because all you have to do in the off-season is train.  But basketball and baseball is tough.  You have to be able to do things all year.  We do stuff all year.  We want to give them the opportunity to get better through-out the year. If they’re playing another sport some guy is concentrating on their spot and when that season comes he will be the better player.

Coach Pishkur was working at a sporting goods store when the athletic director of his alma mater, Andrean High School, called and asked him if he would coach girls’ volleyball.  Dave had just graduated from college, Purdue University Calumet, and wanted to coach baseball.  But he took the job to get his foot in the door.  Two weeks later he was asked to coach freshman basketball.  He still wanted baseball but accepted.  A month later the AD called and asked him to coach the JV baseball team.  Coach Pishkur was delighted.  He coached all three sports that first year.  He continued with volleyball another six years.  After one year of JV he became the head baseball coach in 1980 and has been there ever since.

Interview:  December, 2011