Episode 86: The Mentorship Legacy with Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Ronnie Courtney

My special guest is Ronnie Courtney

Coach Ronnie Courtney is the head coach at Marshall High School. He started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Fur High School and became the head coach at Jeff Davis High School, despite being told he would never be able to win. He proved them wrong and won, then moved on to Willow Ridge High School and won back-to-back state titles. From there, he went on to coach at Texas Southern University, where he won a SWAC tournament championship and experienced the NCAA tournament. Coach Courtney returned to high school coaching, winning another state championship at Bush High School. After a successful season at Provision Academy, he was hired at Marshall High School and led the team to the regional finals with a record of 35-4. Throughout his career, he has shown that hard work and perseverance can lead to success.

On this episode of Flipboard EDU Podcast, Coach Courtney shares his coaching philosophy based on simplicity and efficiency. He believes in tough love but also showing his players love and emphasizing the importance of work-life balance. Despite his impressive accomplishments, he believes in giving back to others and lifting them up. He shares stories of influential coaches in his life that helped shape his coaching style and his passion for English. He also emphasizes the need for collaboration and treating others with kindness and equality.

Transcript

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The views, thoughts and opinions expressed during. This or any broadcast belong solely to. Our guests or our hosts. These broadcasts do not represent or reflect the views of their employers, sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Welcome to the Flipboard.edu podcast with your host, William Jeffrey, where we collaborate, communicate and educate with the greatest educators in the world on Flipboard. Let's start the show. Welcome back, flipboard FAM. This is your favorite coach, coach Jeffrey. And I have another amazing guest here today, my fate. One of my favorite coaches of all time, coach Ronnie Courtney. Welcome to the show. Thank you very much, sir. First of all, let me tell you guys who I'm speaking with. I am speaking with the hall of Fame Ronnie Courtney, texas High School basketball legend and mentor of mine. I don't think there would be a real Coach Jeffrey if it wasn't for Mr. Ronnie Courtney, hall of Fame Coach Ronnie Courtney. So, Coach Courtney, can you tell our listener audience a little bit about yourself? I'm currently the head coach at Marshall High School. I came out of retirement to get back into the game of coaching. I started coaching back at Jeff Davis, where actually at Fur High School as assistant coach and got my first head coaching job at Jeff Davis High School, where a lot of people told me I would never be able to leave Jeff Davis because I was never going to win. As people always say, God already has a plan for you. And I was able to win and get out of Jeff Davis and move over to Willow Ridge High School in 1997, where I won back to back state titles. In 2000, 2001, I left Willow Ridge High School to head coaching job at Texas Southern University. I was able to win a Swag tournament championship and have the opportunity to experience the NCAA tournament while at Texas Southern University. I left Texas Southern University. Went back to high school. Went to Bush High School in 2007. In 2010, I won another state championship, stayed there for, I think eleven years, got out because I thought I was sitting around the house for a few months. Went to private school, provision Academy, my first year, provision Academy, I won a state championship at Provision Academy, left Provision Academy, went home and sat down for about a month, found out that Marshall jaw was open. Coach Gabe helped me navigate that situation, and three years later I met Marshall High School, just finished my third year there, where I went to the regional finals, lost to Colleen Ellison in the finals, ended up with a season record of 35 and four. My blessings are still coming down as my wife and I send our prayers up. My man, coach Courtney. Man, let me tell you all about this dude. Okay, so I was the coach. Let me share a quick story. I normally don't do this, but I got to break this down. So you all understand how revered this young fella is, I'm going to say maybe about seven or eight years after Coach Courtney had left Jefferson Davis High School, I became the varsity head basketball coach. Now, in my mind, I thought I was a good coach, but everything I did, people reminded me, hey, that's not how Coach Courtney did it. Hey, man, listen, I don't know what you think you're doing, but that's not how Coach Courtney did it. And I'm like, man, who is this Coach Courtney? I knew who Coach Courtney was because he was winning state titles, but I was like, man, who is this dude? Man, he ain't whatever. So I go to coaching school my first year being a head basketball coach, and I step into the elevator, and none other than coach Ronnie Courtney is in the elevator talking with his friends. I think you guys have just won a state championship at Bush. And I was like, I'm fixing to go to his talk and see what he's talking about and see what he's actually doing. I go to his talk. He explains how he coaches basketball, and most of the time, if you're a coach, you go to coaching schools, and coaches give you this fluff, and you would think that that's not how he does it. Okay, now, fast forward. Let's say three years later I think it was about three years later. It just so happens that I had a mutual friend who was working on Coach Courtney staff. And at the school that I was at, I wasn't really winning any basketball games at all. I was a pro in losing. They was like, hey, man, we got an opening here at George Bush High School. You want to come over here with Coach Courtney? So I go, and I meet Coach Courtney. And lo and behold, the drill that he's telling us that he does on a daily basis with his kids, as simple as that drill was, my man is doing it with fidelity in the gym. I said, okay, he's a real deal. And I have learned so much from watching you coach, from the way you get the best out of players, the way you get the best out of teachers. Where does that come from? Coach Courtney, I have to go back to probably, first of all, my parents taught me, you want to treat people the way that you want to be treated and always be kind. And I've tried to do that through my career, but I go back to my I guess back then, it was junior high, my junior high coach, those Ray long took me under his wing. I wasn't really interested in playing sports, but he saw something in me that he could get out of me, and it was playing football and basketball, and I took it, and I learned from him how to do things, especially in the realm of dealing with a lot of people at one time. And he propelled my career. As far as sports was concerned, I really didn't want to play football. I just wanted to play basketball. But he said, Man, I think you'd be a great football player. I'm like, I really like football. Coach, but trusting in him. I listened to him extensively, and he got me out on the football field. I ended up playing football, but more so than the sports part of it, he took care of me as though I was his child. What I mean by that, he would take me school shopping, even though I had a mother and a father. He said that I was the son that he never had, I wish he would have had. So he would take me to the most expensive store at that time, as Walter Piles. I don't know if anybody know about Walter Piles. He would buy me clothes, and for every pair of clothes and shoes he would buy me, he would buy me shoes to match it. So I was going to junior high school looking like an adult with certain matching pants and shoes. And I'm walking around school looking, and I could be one of the teachers. And he didn't only just stop me and stop caring about me. When I left junior high, I went to Houston Sterling, and he followed me all the way to Houston Sterling, and the same thing took place. And the most ironic part about Coach Long was he got me a job at Finger Furniture Company when I was in the 9th grade. It. And I met Mr. Fingers. He takes me to Mr. Fingers, say, hey, this is one of my players. I need you to give him a job. I was like a job. I said, Coach, I don't want to work. He said you're not going. I said, wait a minute. You just said, Give me a job. He said, what you're going to do is you're going to come in here on the weekend, which was Saturday, and you're going to work 8 hours, and they're going to pay you for 40. He said, they're going to pay you for 40. This is the deal. We make it for you. I'm like, okay, fine. As I go to high school. Throughout my whole high school, that deal stayed in place. I would go on Saturdays, get paid for 40 hours. But when I got to college, my college coach was really the one who showed me how to treat different types of people. Because on my college team, we had Hispanics, blacks, white. We had everybody there. And I watched him coach us. And I like, man, I want to be like that dude. And I kept watching him and mimicking him throughout my college career. And he actually let me coach the JV team in college. And I was actually I won the JV team in college. He tried to get me to stay there with him. I like, Nah, Coach, I'm going home. But to say I say all that, to say this. You asked me where did I get it from. I got it from those two coaches because they showed me that in the world of coaching, you can't see color and treat people fairly. You're not going to treat them all the same, but you got to treat them fairly. And that's one of the things I've learned through my careers from those two men, how they handle me and the guys that are on my team as far as being a coach that kids can come and talk to and trust and have their back. And he had my back tremendous. Both of them. Yes. And I can say that, man, throughout the years, you have had my back, coach, man, I never forget the first time I met you, man, because I was scared, because your reputation precedes you and everybody was like, man, Coach Courtney is very serious. He don't crack no jokes. He's very serious, man. You like one of the funniest dudes. I've ever. I never cut up so much at work, man, because of you. We used to have so much fun. I hated leaving. I got a promotion, but I hated leaving, man, because I've never had that much fun coaching. So you seem to enjoy what you do. Where does that passion come from? People that don't know me and never been around me, I guess that's persona that I throw out at people, that all business and no fun. But at the end of the day, man, I have just as much fun as the next guy. And my only thing that I think I cherish the most is when guys work with me, I try to make them feel like they are just equal to me. And I think that's important. If you talk to any coaches that have been around me, I never let a coach say he works for me because nobody works for me. We all work together. We all grown men. So I don't like that statement. I don't accept that statement. So that was one of my ways of letting guys know that, hey, man, we all on the same playing field. I've got the title of head coach, but in my speeches to my team, I make sure my team understand that all my coaches are the head coach because you never know what day I'm not going to be there. So if I'm not there, they understand that you guys are still just like me. So what you guys say, it goes. And that comes from understanding that no one person can take a team and guide it by himself. If that's the case, you wouldn't have assisted coaches. And I cherish my assistant coaches to the utmost because I know at the end of the day, those are the guys I can come back to and talk to and help me navigate myself through a problem that I may have. So when it comes down to being a guy that guys can be around and trust, I think I'm one of those guys that people can actually be around. Once you know who I am and what I'm all about, it becomes like, oh, man, just like everybody else, just like us. And that's why I want all my coaches to realize that I'm just like you. But everywhere I've gone to coach, people like, man, how are we going to help? You already won state title. But at the end of the day, I don't know everything. I'm still learning the game of basketball. I had a player this year by the name of Jalen Lowe. I think everybody in the city, Houston, know who that is, who made me a better coach in the three years he was there, because this guy was so brilliant as far as understanding the game and breaking games down and bringing the scout report to me for me to look at. And so when we had our end of the year meeting this year, our exit interview meetings, I took him to his face and maybe made me a better coach because the way he broke down film, the way I broke down film is totally different. But it was so ironic that they were so close together because he was picking up smaller details where I wasn't picking up the smaller detail, which I used to do, but I didn't at that time. So as a head coach, you have to take that title and throw it to the side, because for a lot of guys may get that title of head coach, I think it does something to them. It's okay, I'm the head coach. I've earned the right to be the head coach. And there's nothing no one can tell me because I think I know it all. And those are the guys that trouble. I took my Tyler's head coach and put it to the side, and I made sure that all my other guys were head coaches as well, because at the end of the day, I needed everybody to be with me and on board with me to help me get the things accomplished I wanted to accomplish. My man, and you ain't lying. You are not lying. Another quick little story, man. I remember when I was actually scared. We was coaching the first game and I was scared to say something. So I would lean over to Coach Gabriel. I was our mutual friend, and I would say, hey, man, they doing this. And Coach Gabriel would be like, tell him. I was like, no, I'm not going to say nothing. He was like, man, you need to tell him. So at halftime, come in, you came to us, you said, what do you see? And I said, they're doing XYZ. You immediately went into the locker room and said, hey, guys, they're doing X, Y and Z. And I want you all to pay attention to that. I was shocked because I have worked with some very arrogant people who have not accomplished what you have accomplished in a consistent and constant basis. You took our feedback and treated us as if we were the head coaches. And I appreciate that. And the reason why I'm standing here is on that is that in the realm of education, principals get titles that. Go to their heads. Superintendents get titles to go to their heads. And what can you say to those administrators who take that title and do not have that team mentality that you just spoke about? And the first thing I would say is the way you went up that ladder. Remember how you got up that ladder. Because going that ladder is tougher to coming down that ladder. Because at the end of the day, if you don't have a backbone, you don't have anybody there that can help set you straight even though you got that title, then you don't need anybody to help you. Just run a school by yourself. You don't need assistant superintendent, you don't need assistant principal, you don't need anybody. Just run it all by yourself. But if you are true to your heart and the title that you have, then you seek out help. Because sometimes people see something that you don't see, can help you do something a little different from what you're doing. If you have a better outcome, you have to be able to understand that journey up that ladder is tough. And when you get to the top of that ladder and you look down, remember who was down there to help you get the way you are at the top. So at that point, you need to reach down at the bottom of that ladder and get somebody with you and help them get to the top of that ladder with you. Because at the end of the day, you're not the only superintendent, you're not the only principal, you're not the only coach, you're not doing anything. There are a lot of people doing the same thing that you're doing, but they're doing it differently. And the way you make yourself different from everybody else is you have to recognize who has helped you get where you are. It's quiet once I leave the school house. I leave my work at school and I come home to my wife and we talk about it sometime. Because that's my other sister coach that nobody really knows but my wife and my assistant coach as well, because she'll get me in this house and she started telling me stuff that she saw and what I should have done. And I'm looking at her like, who made you a coach? But at the end of the day, to be a coach's wife, I'm going to put this out here because it's part of what I believe in. It takes a special kind of lady and my wife is that person because she's been here with me and the ups and the downs and all the problems I hadn't brought home, she's helped me to maneuver those things and get me back on track. But that question that you asked me about, how do you talk to administrative principal about how to be that person? Remember who put you there? That's all I tell you. You didn't get there by yourself. I had a meeting with some coaches during the Final Four, and they were bitching and complaining about why they're not here, coaches and why this and why that. And I just told the guy, I'm going to say something to you. I want you to take it the wrong way. Not a Baptist preacher, by no means. I say, but you know what? Everybody steps already on it. So if you're not there yet, then keep doing what you're supposed to be doing. Because at the end of the day, everybody's life is already planned. You just got to leave it and live it the right way. And everything that you want to happen is going to eventually happen. So when you be trying to become that administrator and that superintendent and that head coach, remember this. Your steps are man, that's deep, Coach, because that leads into something else. You have coached some of the best basketball players, not only in the state of Texas, but in the NCAA. And I remember talking to you about what was TJ. Always TJ ford. And you said that when you saw TJ, he was the littlest person in the gym. Now here's what's crazy, coach. I have worked with coaches and people who will see a little guy and they'd be like, oh, forget him. He'll never be nothing. And you taught me, you said, hey, man, don't ever discount a kid, man. Don't ever cut him out. So can you speak on that? Speak to that. When I showed up, I was already at Willow Ridge, and TJ shows up, and I'm like, hey, man, what you doing here? I said, you're supposed to be in Baytown going to school. He said, Coach, we moved from Baytown out here. I said he's serious. He said, yes, sir. I said, I promise you this. We're going to win a state championship before you leave here. And the reason why I said that to him is because I've been watching him probably since he was knee high to a Duck driven, a basketball winning driven contest, winning all these little things that Little Leaguer. And as we start our year, that willeridge he would always come by the office like, coach, you sure we can win a state championship while I'm here? And say, I'm pretty sure we can. And by the time we got through, Ty said, I got something he could tell you. I said, what's that? He said, Daniel Yun is coming. Okay, who is that dude? And he started telling me who Daniel was. And I'm like, okay. I get there when I see him. When he gets there, he said, that's not all that's coming, coach. I say, wait a minute. Who else is coming? He said, Curtis Walker comes. Who is that dude? And my point I'm trying to make is, when TJ. Arrived at willow Ridge, all of his friends that he played with and knew said that if TJ. That willow ridge, that's where we need to be. And the guy that already at willow ridge was pretty good as well. So he put all that together, and TJ. Was probably 130 pounds soaking wet in the 9th grade. And he kept saying, coach, I want to play in the NBA. I say, man, that's a tough task. I say, but don't let anything stop you with that dream. And he says, coach, I'm nice. The only thing I need you to do for me is when I need to get in the gym, can you just open the gym? I said, I can open up the gym every day but Sunday. And trust me, every day he was in that gym working and working on his craft. Working on his craft. And we would have open gym. He invite people to open gym. We'd have over 100 people in open gym from all over the city. And he would just make phone calls, say, me and my coach got the gym open. You all come over in this play. We had so many people in the gym, I had to get a notepad and write a pool had next because everybody wanted to play against each other, because at that time, it was a whole lot of talent in the city of Houston. And he mentioned Daniel yuan to me, and I never didn't know who Daniel was. And he came to me and said, coach, can I talk to you? I'm like, sure. He said, coach, I need you to help me out. What you need me help you with? He said, can you tell me? I can get to Duke. I'm like, get to Duke. I said me. Just in the night, Gracie. I know, coach. I want to get started now. Panel, I said, do these three things right here. I said, you got to make all age. Can't make no bees. You got to have great high school career, and you got to be a McDonald's all american. He looked at me and said, is that it? That it. I said, yeah, that's it. He said, all right. Thank you, coach. And he walked out. Daniel ewan. Never took a book home, never all near things that would read. He never took a book off. And I looked at his grass, and this dude makes nothing but a how you do this? He said, coach, school is easy. This stuff right here, they try and teach me. I already know all this. You just said in the 9th grade, though, dude, and I talked to some of his teachers, they said, Coach, he could teach the class. When I say he never took a book home, never. 4.0. He took the Sat as a freshman. He scored 1200 as a freshman. Wow. And never looked back. So that thing about trying to judge kids before you actually look at them or get them to play, I think you set yourself up for failure because no one knows how good a player is going to be because of how hard they working. And TJ is a prime example because in my wildest dream, I never thought he'd be an NBA player. But he became a lottery pick and he was number eight one, drafted in this 2001 class, 2002 class, 2003 class. No, 2001 class, lottery pick. And that's amazing to be looking at that dude as a 9th grader and then all the way through college, he becomes a lottery pick. And while he was in college, he won every NCAA award that was to win. And at that moment I said, man, you know what? Next time a kid wants to go to the NBA, I need to make sure I'm listening to that kid, because that kid already has this story already written. And to this day, he and I still talk a lot. Daniel and I, we talk a lot. I think it's also most important for coaches and administrators or whoever, is that you never lose your connection with people that help you become successful. Because I tell you right now, it wasn't for a Daniel and a TJ and Ivan and a Curtis. I don't know if it'd be a me because those guys set me up for a lot of success. When people see me, the first thing say, you that Williams coach. So that's where it all starts. I'm that willerids coach. And from there they just keep moving. Tell you a funny story. I took my guys to see the movie about LeBron James, and I ran across some Asian people and I spoke because they were part of the group. And I spoke. And an Asian guy looked at me, said, I know you don't know me. He says you coach court. Known what the hell? I was like, yes, sir. He says you started out at Jeff Davis. Didn't I? Yes, sir. And he just went through my whole career. And his wife said, yes. I remember going to the game and watching you play, and I'm like, man, this is amazing. And I found out the Asian guy used to coach at work in high school. He said, I've been watching you coach. I've always wanted to coach like you. I was like, man, get out of here. And so my point to that is, you never know who's watching you. So when you're out there trying to get to be whoever you're trying to be, always remember somebody's watching. Straight up, man. And any success that I have had, I got to attribute it to the way you handle yourself as a leader. I pattern myself. I think of just a couple of people. Dr. Michael Millstead, you, Ronnie Courtney, Dr. Allegra McGrew, Dr. Yvette Blake are my mentors. And number one, you mentioned not missing a connection with somebody. And at least I try not to go a whole year without least wishing you a happy birthday or, hey, man, congratulations. See you made another hall of fame. Or just to let you know, man, that I love you, coach, because you are one of the reasons you picked up my career. And I think that another thing when you're talking about looking into players, I feel that same thing as the way you look into coaches that you have on your staff, because I feel also, too, that you empower them in that same way that you empower your players. About how many coaches have you had that have gone on to be a head coach? Let me see. Not horrible head coaches these dudes went into. It's four that I can think of, if I'm not mistaken, off the top of my head that have moved on and gotten their own programs. And believe it or not, we still reach out. We talked to each other about problems that they may have or I may have. And again, that's thing about not keeping connection with people that you helped or people that you tried to help. And coach Gabe and I, we were talking a lot. When he would have some issues, we talked a lot. Coach Howard, who was now at bluerville Connolly in Austin area as a head coach, he called me so many times to share with some problems he was having, and I gave him some solutions like, coach, man, I got to tell you, man, that worked just perfectly. That kid is like a strength. He's a great kid now. And Coach Gay. Who that? Bush who took my spot, we talk a lot about some things, problems he's having and how he can handle his solutions, his problems. Chris Caldwell, who actually played for me at Willow Ridge, is now head coach at guess where jeff David high school. So those four guys I know right off the top of my head have their own programs and are doing quite well because Gabe went over cyridge and won immediately doing some of the same thing he saw me do when he was at Bush high school with me. Of course, coach Howard been with me since Williams days. And then willer is TSU bush and aid on his own doing the same thing I did. Coach Gay doing some of the same things he's seen me do. So I say that they say this whatever I'm doing, it must work at some point in time. Become an old school coach. I know of other ways, but I think being an old school coach helps kids become better men because you don't. Put them with the foolishness, but at the same time, you have fun. And I think the biggest thing for a coach or an administrator is when your kids come back to you, appreciate or take appreciate how you handle them or appreciate what you did for them while they were around you. And I think my biggest excitement now is when guys come back to me and say, Coach, I understand now. I didn't understand back then, but I understand now. And people will be amazed at how many Hispanic kids I've touched in my career because of Jeff Davis. It was 90% Hispanic, and that's what I dealt with. And when I see them in passing, I'm saying, coaches wouldn't be for you. I wouldn't be where I am right now. Because I always tell my Hispanic kids, they're like, coach, I'm a quitting and go work for my daddy. Shots. I said no bullshit. You're not getting ready to quit as long as you're around me. And in this program, there's no quitting. You're going to get your diploma. If you can go to college, you're going to go to college. You're going to do all those things that everybody else is doing. And at first, they didn't want to do it. I said, look, this is how we're going to do this. Now. You're going to do this like I tell you to. I'm going to have to have something. I have to deal with you. And I wasn't going to really deal with them, but I had to put a little force in my voice because I didn't want them to be an easy quitter. And I got one Hispanic kid right now, Robert Salinas, and I love this kid to death. And he gets ready to make a major decision in his household. He calls my phone, he says, Coach, I got a problem at home. Wow. And we talk about the problem. I gave my solutions for how I would handle it. He said, Coach, I'm getting ready to go talk to my wife. We're going to do exactly that. And so one day, I got a chance to meet his wife, and she came up to me. She says so. You're right, Courtney. No. She said so you're coach Courtney. I'm like, oh, shit. I said, yes, ma'am. I said, did I do something wrong? She'll know, I just want to thank you because my husband patterns his life out of the way you coached him. I'm like, wow. And so this young man, he still calls me, calling my wife, talks to a bunch. He just thurs like that. It makes me want to stay in his business for as long as I can, because I know at the end of the day, come off that guy. That's not very likable as a coach, but understandable. They understand how I am or what I'm about. And once they leave and come back, it's just a joy to be able to sit down with them and they bring up stories about me and how I did certain things and how they do the thing themselves. And so that's why I got back in. And not to win games, because I won a bunch of games. They get back in it for money. They met my wife. We're pretty well off. And I got back in because my wife told me, she says, you know what? You are cutting off your blessings. She said, God bless you to help children become better people. He said, you can't do it sitting here at home. Damn. So she says, Once you go find you another job and get back and do what you love to do. I was like, you know what, baby, you're right. Let me get out of the house and let me see what I come up with. And that's why I came back. People said, you came back because you trying to win another state championship as a head coach. What head coach wouldn't want to win a state champion? That's idiotic statement to make. I kind of overlook people a lot these days because they don't know me, they just know of me. And if I don't win another state championship, I think my legacy and my accomplishment speaks for itself as far as what I've done for people, two people and for myself and for everybody's been a part of what I've done, I think I've done it all. That was one of the reasons why I got out, because I'm like, what else can I do in high school sports? I've done it all. And that's what my wife hit me with. Cutting your blessing short. So I'm like, shitty. I go, So don't regret it. I don't regret it. Matter of fact, I cherish it. I think I got the best set up in all of America. I go to work every day. I

don't teach. I go to work about 11: 28:43

00 and about

245 03: 28:46

00, I'm done. So now my season is over with. I go to work at about

eleven and I'm done at 1230, maybe 01: 28:54

00 if I want to stay. So when you're doing that and you can just coach and be around kids that love to be around instead of dealing with the whole mass of students in the school, it makes life easier and it makes you want to do it for as long as you want to. Yes. You definitely have earned it, man. And just looking at your accomplishments that you've done over the years, coach, me, being right there, witnessing how easy you do it, has got to be a blessing from God. Because I didn't know what greatness was until I saw it. And so that's the same thing that I appreciate about you, is that when you are showing your greatness, you're not arrogant about it, you're just being great. And I don't think you really care about what people think about you because you're being great and you get that same greatness out of kids. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Go ahead. No, I'm just saying that's what a coach is supposed to do. That's what coaches do. They get the bet. They're themselves growing to be the best, and then they grow people to be their best. You know what, Coach? You can talk to me for hours on end and you're never going to hear me go back and talk about what I used to do. Straight up. I just don't do that. Because to me, that's history. If you want to know about me, go back and read about me. But I'm not going to sit into all things I've done and put this halo above my head and think I'm great that I'm not. There are tons of people out there that are better than I am as far as doing what I'm doing. But it's just the fact that I can be humble like that because I know for a fact that I didn't do it by myself. So as you move forward and as I move forward, my accolades are probably the last thing I talk about me. People always going to bring up my past, man, let's talk about what I'm doing right now, because that right there, I'm not going to do that again. I'm trying to want to do something different. And when I first got the marsh, they just want to talk about what I used to do, how I did it. I'm like, Man, I'm trying to do something over here. I don't want to talk about what I used to do. And if people can get out of that part of their lives and move forward with their life and try to become better than what they used to be, I think that's the whole purpose of being in the field of dealing with children, because society now has you get on the Internet and find anything you want about anybody in this world. And so for me to sit there and talk about myself is nonsense. It doesn't make sense to me to sit there and do that, so I move forward. You meant about being on the elevator with me that day I went to Speak six High School Coach Association. I'm like, man, why don't come in, listen to me speaks because everybody's already coaching. And I walk into the room and it's standing room only. Wait a minute. All these people here to hear me speak of something they already know. It was a ballroom coach. A ballroom coach. People didn't have chairs. And that let me know at that moment I said, you know what? I must be doing something right, because people want to know. And I don't think I was doing anything spectacular to my understanding. But after I spoke at that clinic, I had so many people asking me for my DDDs, can they bring me staff over to watch, see what I do? It's just stuff like that. It hit me. I'm like, man, this is simply amazing, because I spoke at TABC Clinic and what they meant people there. I go to Texas High School Coach Association. There's a whole ton of people there. So I'm saying that as you progress in your career, you always want to focus on being better than you were the last time. And I think each year I've gotten better at what I do and how I do it, because everybody wants to know, what did you learn in college? How you bring college coach back to high school? Coaching very simple. All about details, small details. And that's what I use as far as my coaching goes now, is I tell you need to be right here on this spot. I don't mean two inches over that spot, two inches in the furnace. I need you to be right here on this particular spot. And I still coach that way. And keep looking at that, coach, I got to be just right here. Yes, just right here. If you can't be right here, then you go sit down. Because I know as a coach, those things matter. Being exact and being as to the point as you can. A lot of people like to talk about defensive styles and my defensive strategies, but you got to know how to teach it if you don't know how to teach it. Everybody's got their own way of teaching it. But this past year, Coach, we played 39 games. We gave up 70 points three times. Goodness gracious, Coach. I think our average of points given up was between 49 and 52 points a game. We were a defensive juggernaut because we were good at it. We were playing game with people scoring 22 points in the whole game. We were playing game people don't even score in the first half, don't score in the first quarter. And it became fun for my kids. Can we see? We can hold them. Score this for a whole half. I said, Go out there and try that. And we did that a couple of times. Pete did not score for a whole half. So that to me, if you get a kid to play defense harder than he plays offense, you got a chance to win a bunch of Yanks. And this year we played defense harder than we played offense, because I always tell my kids, if you throw it ball up here enough times, eventually it's going to go in. It's going to go in. But can you stop somebody from school? And we were able to do that. I've always had a kid that was my best defender that would say, Coach, give me the best player on the floor. I had that kind of kid this year, which was defensive Player of the Year. When I had that bush, I had three guards that would actually argue, who's going to go out the best man? So when you get guys that can buy into that part of the game, you got a shot. You really do. My man. Coach, dude, I just love talking to you, man, because I learned so much when I speak to you, you said you don't like people talking about your past. But I want to bring up the fact that me and you used to. Cut. You'Re probably one of the most. Cut up folks that work doing that. Coach, I have a coach on my staff, Coach Baker. Coach Baker and I, we have a great time at work because he was there when Coach Nick was there. And Coach Nick is a lot of fun as well. Yeah, got to know Coach Nick, but he was like, man, you worse than Coach Nick, man, you are nut. But I want my guys to understand that I'm about having fun. When it's time to work, I'm going to work. All forces put aside. But when I'm done working, man, let's have some fun. Because when I got there, 2 hours of my master practice, sometime less than 2 hours. And when I got there, they like I said, Everybody up. Everybody up. I was like, Everybody up. That's it. I said, that's it. We only been in here for an hour and a half. I say, man, it don't take me all day. Do what I say do and do it the right way. We out of here. So my coaches, they were standing around looking at me. So I was like, man, what's wrong with you all? We don't have no meeting. What are we going to meet about? We used to having meetings at the Price and watching Fame. I said, man, let me tell you something. I said, I got a wife at home. I don't know about you all, I said, but I like going on to my wife. I don't know what you all like doing, but we finished. Stay here all night. And they looked at me and, hot damn, co we out of here. And so it was stuff like that. So when he did finish Price, we stayed around and we laughed and we joked. And it wasn't about basketball. No, we just talking and having a good time. And they like, Coach, man, this shit's unreal. I said, man, let me tell you, sir, our lives already difficult because we always gone. And so when it's time for you to go home, I don't know where you're going, but you're going to get out this gym because I'm not being here with you. And they was like, we're going to practice on Saturdays. I was like, Saturdays? I'm going to do Saturdays. Coach, what do you mean? I said, Man, I'm not coming up here on Saturday. Coach, nobody about nothing. And so they took that as a point of, Man, Coach, you cool. I said, It's not about being cool. It's about understanding that everybody in this gym, on my steps has a significant other, some kind of way, shape, form, or fashion. You got kids so your kids don't see you Monday through Friday. So you think, I'm going to bring up here on Saturday for another 2 hours and do what? But I don't want to be here. And so people been around me and I tell them I don't practice on Saturdays. They don't believe me. Didn't believe you? Didn't believe you. I didn't believe you. And I don't practice on Wednesdays. On Wednesday. They're like, cool. Are you lying? I said, no, why don't you practice on Wednesday? I said, because if my kids play hard on Tuesday, what am I going to do with them on Wednesday? They don't give me anything. So rather than me be pissed off at them on Wednesday because they're not practicing hard, I just don't do it at all. You can come in there, you put some shots up and you want to I really don't want you to do that. Then you hit a Friday. If you play hard on Friday, I'm going to bring up you on Saturday. For what? No, your mother might want to take you to the mall. You might want to go to someone with your family. Go do that. And people say, how can you get ready for a game on Tuesday? We're just practicing on Monday. Hey, basketball is not that hard to figure out. Don't take a rocket science and figure out a game. So that philosophy of mine still holds true today. I even did it in college. My college guy like, oh, wait a minute, we don't practice on Saturday. We played on Saturday. So we didn't practice on Wrenches. And coach, they said, what are we going to do? I said, should you going home to your dorm? Where are you going? But you're not coming to the gym? So I've been doing that for a long time. And some reason or another, I've been successful doing it that way. My coach Gabe came around me. The first time he got around me, he couldn't believe I didn't practice Wednesday, no Saturdays. He said, Coach, there's no way you can win doing that. I'm like, Shit, let me show you. I'm show you I can't. And it's just me not trying to kill my kid throughout a whole season. Because for me, I always believe I was going to be in the playoffs. Never thought I'd be out the playoffs. My reason for doing that is because I wanted my kid to be fresh down the stretch. And I keep doing it and it keeps being successful for me. So I'm not going to change the way I've always done it or am doing it. Because if it's not broke, don't fix it. And I know when you came, you didn't believe I didn't press on Wednesday. You're like, wait a minute, we don't practice. When you told me, man, you need to go home to your wife man. Get home. She don't think I got fired. I think as a family man and you have a family, I think I don't want wives mad at me for keeping my coaches out all day and night practicing it don't take all of that. So when you go home, we start practicing at

04: 39:28

00 and you out of there at six and you home by 630, you walk in the door and look at you like, what you doing here? Yeah, that's what you want? Want to hear what you doing here? Okay, babe, let's go do something. Because I got a lot of time, I got a lot of energy, because we don't do that. When I got to March, they were like, oh, we stay here and watch film after practice, and we watch film after the game. I say, do you think I'm going to do that? Because I'm not doing that. I'm not watching no film with you all. Everybody got huddle. You all go home, watch huddle on your own, and I'm going to watch it on my own, but I'm out of here. So that's just how I am. That's just how you are. I really don't take 2 hours of practice. I just don't. When I first start my season, it's 2 hours as the season that goes on, hour and a half, 15 minutes. And because I start cutting things down or cutting things out altogether and those things that I do, a lot of guys don't want to do it that way because I don't think it works that way. But I'm a living witness. It works. A championship witness. So there are not many coaches that have coached in the NCAA tournament that have won. You won a Swag championship and then you came back in high school. How many coaches do you know how. Many coaches have done that? I think one coach up in Maryland, DC. Did it. He was at Students DC. Marion. He was a Baltimore Marion. They won championship that he left and became a head coach at Maryland. He stayed about the same time I stayed about six years. I'm looking at his face right now, I just can't call his name. But right now, those are the only two that I know of that have left high school and became division one head coaches. From high school to division One head coach back to back like that. We're the only two that I know. Of that have done that legend, and you are a legend. All them trophies back there, man, listen, you all have never been to this man house. He got so many trophies that don't fit in one room. Basketball letters from presidents and emperors. I think maybe Jesus signed one of his things. I'm not agents. People walk in my house, soon you walk my door. This is my trophy room. And they stop right there and they come in the room and they start reading all the stuff that's on these walls, which my wife decorated these walls with all my memorabilia. And sometimes I come in and look at it myself because I'm like, damn. I did all this because I'm not one of those guys that holds on to what I have done. So this room is a reminder to me of what I have done. Because like I said earlier, I don't really talk to myself and what I've done because it's not important at that point. But sometimes I walk in this room and I stand in, I just look and I'm like, man, God is good. Because if it wasn't for him, we all know this, we are nobody. But since we're his child, we're his child or his children, we are somebody. And I take that to heart. Because these walls, he's still trying to find wall space to put stuff up that's not even up. So it's just amazing to sometimes sit back in my career and look at how it came to pass, because people don't know this. I didn't really want to coach. I came out of college and I said, I'm going to try this coaching stuff. Because of my middle school coach and my college, I'm going to try this coaching stuff and I'm going to see if I can do it some kind of be like those guys. And I said I'm to going try this for five years. In five years, I don't have it done. I'm getting out. And I tried it for those first five years and I'm like, this is fun. I guess the biggest thing was I get to sit at home for three months and still get paid. But this is amazing. And I kept going at it until I became my own head coach. And I'm like, oh shit, now what do I do? So I used to come home, give me a pen and paper and just draw a place. I don't want to be like anybody. I want to have my own stuff. I want to do my own thing. And now at Jeff days when I started doing that, I will come home and I draw up stuff and look at it. Because I understood how defenses were supposed to be played. So that's how I started drawing up my plays. I look at, okay, if I do this, you have to do this. I'm accounted by doing this. And I would sit at home and do that all the time. And when I did become a head coach like Jeff Davis, I'm like, man, shit. I was never good idea. People was right. But should I be stuck here for the rest of my life? I can't do this shit right here for the rest of my life. And lo and behold, Carl Crawford come through there and we have a great run at it. But I never thought I would have been doing this for 40 years, man, and still loving it every second of the day I do it. And I still sit down and draw a play that even after 40, I still sit down and draw up stuff because I'm still trying to make sure that I'm ahead of the game as opposed to what everybody else is doing and how the game is changing. And if you watch the game enough to know that kids nowadays, they emulate so much of what they see on TV, and Coach Woods over at Hightower made an amazing compliment for me. To me, he says, Coach, I'm excited about how you are transforming how the game is being played. He said, I just can't do it. And what he meant by that is, my kids shoot from anywhere. I don't really care. I tell him, I said, I don't care where you shoot from. You can throw that ball up in the bleach if you want. You drop kick it up if you want to. I don't care. But one thing I do understand and I do know is when you shoot it from wherever you shoot it from, you better get your ass back there and play in defense. So if you ever see my teams play and they shoot it from the volleyball line, jada over, shooting from me at court sometime, and they never look at me and I never say anything, it's because we have that understanding. And I always tell my kids, if you do something bad, you know it's bad. And you look at me, I'm going to take you out because I don't want you looking at me for nothing unless I call your name. If I never call your name, don't look over there for me for no confirmation, no nothing. Just keep playing. And when you watch my teams play, they're so relaxed on both ends because they know on one end I can shoot ball wherever I want to shoot them from. Coach ain't going to say nothing, but I just got to go back there and guard. And a lot of people say, Coach, how do you sit there? How do you do that? I say, it comes from practice. What everybody sort of be doing is practicing. That's where mine comes from. So my theory is, if you do something in practice, if I don't say anything, it's okay. If you do something in practice and I get on your ass about it, it ain't okay. In other words, don't go to the game. Do what I just got on your ass about. Do what I do. Some things I'm sending to you about. If you can do that, then you can play for me. If you do some stuff and I get on there and say, ma'am, don't you do that shit no more. That may not do it in the game. And they understand that. And I tell all my team every year, say, Ma'am, tell you something right now. I don't care about offense. I don't give a shit, that's it. Because if you throw it up there enough times, some of them go in. I want you to understand this. Can you stop somebody, though? And if you stop somebody, you play, okay? So if you can't play defense for Coach Courtney, you can't play, period. And a lot of kids have a hard time understanding that, but I want you to understand that that's all the team sports. So everybody got to be on the same page. Some might shoot more than others. Some may not shoot at all. But everybody going to play defense the way it's supposed to be played. And that's all we have to teach it. That's been teaching it's, not going to keep teaching it. I keep trying to figure out when I'm going to wrap this up, because you bringing on stuff that I need to bring out about you is because you are a great teacher. And what a lot of people don't know is that you taught English beginning in your career and was the teacher of the year. Where does your passion for teaching come from? Coach, I had three favorite teachers when I was in school and man, it was so hard on me. And at that time I didn't understand why, but I'm like, damn, but they were getting the best out of me. And so when I came out of college and got my first job, they're like, oh, man, you're an English teacher. See what that means? And I didn't know at the time that you're an English teacher, you get a job anywhere. And I'm like, yes, I'm an English teacher and a black man. English teacher. And high school, they put me at first when I first thought I had 9th grade English and 10th grade English, I said, okay, this is nice. I like this because I love English. Because when I was in high school and in college, that's all I made in English A's. And so when I was in college, my professor said, you know what? You need to make this your minor and teach it because you're good at it. I'm like, man, I don't teach no damn English. Do that. But as I kept going, I'm like, man, stuff is pretty easy. I was a Shakespeare lover, and I got the fur, and they kept evaluating me. And the principal said, you know what? We're going to give you honors English. I said honors English. I said, Wait a minute, hold on. He said, no, you're going to take Honors English and you're going to take and you're going to teach all the scenes. Honors English. I'm like, shit. And when I got it, I was like, man, this is nice. I got to the Shakespeare part and I was like, they thought I was born around Shakespeare time. And I was reciting it like they did back then. And I did English for 15 years. My 1st 15 years of coaching, I was. In English and coaching, and it just was something that became easy to me. And after I left Jeff Davis, I went to Jeff Davis. Oh, you're English teacher. I said hold on. I'm not doing that over here. I just did it for 15 years. I'm the head coach now. She said, Let me tell you something, sir. You had to teach first. You'll get into the English class. Yes, ma'am. I did English and basketball as a head coach for three years of Jeff days. I finally said, Ma'am, it's too much. I can't. He said, okay, let's do this. Let me give you some PE classes. And eventually I got PE all together at Jeff Davis. But I went to Willow Ridge, and the principal saw my resume and said, man, your English teacher like, Damn, here we go again. And he said, I need you to teach. At that time, I forgot what test we were taking. Anyway, we take note that state test with the state test. I say hold on, Mr. Pope. I said, you asked me to come over here and win some championships. I said, I can't win championships and teach this class with a test. And he said, what do you need, Ryan? I said, I need to get out of this classroom. That's what I need. The next day, I got the classroom. I hated it, but at the same time, I didn't, because it was too much. Let me try to get you ready for the state test. And you want me to win a state championship? No, it's not work. I went to Marshall, so I went to Bush, and Ms. Rose did the same thing. She said, oh, shit. You English teacher. I said, Ms. Rose, hold on. I'm not doing it at all. I knew Ms. Rose. I knew Ms. Rose. She was chili, responsive, at Wood original death. Dr. Rose. No, I'm not doing that. I said, you want me to teach English? I can't take this job. All right, boy. Shit. You have to teach English. But every time I went to a job next summer, they said, oh, you English teacher. I'm like, oh, shit. Here we go. So I went to Marcia. She said, Dr. Sanders said the same thing. Top English coach. I like, yeah, but I don't want to do it again. So it's just that thing that I gravitated to English from, I guess, junior high. I had great junior high teacher. I had excellent high school teachers and my college professors. Man, I would go to English class if I went to anything else in college. I'm like, I'm going to English class. I'm going to rest up. But eventually you learn that all those things are important. But I always felt like if I was speaking English, then it should be easy to learn English. And I took that, and I made it a minor, and I should have made it a major, but it really didn't matter. But it was just one of those things that I thought would help me in life to be able to articulate and to talk to people in such a way that I was understood. Because most people say that jocks, they don't know how to talk, we just dumb. And I thought if I put English behind my name and I really studied it, it would help me as I moved on in life. And lo and behold, it has helped me throughout my career because pride myself in not getting on TV or radio or whatever instead of how they go, yeah. And it just burns my butt to the Gakis. And I always might make sure I never said those words when I spoke. And to be able to articulate yourselves without using all the jargons, it makes for a better perception of you as a coach, especially now as a coach, and back then as a student athlete. Man. Hey, again, just nuggets, man, just nuggets. Simply because I remember that's another thing. As an adult, I'm sitting here watching you talk to your team, and the way you give instructions is masterful. That's another thing that people don't know about you. I'm not going to tell anybody about it because I think you should write a book about how you talk. But when you give instructions to kids, there's no doubt on what they need to do in order to do like I've called time outs as a coach. I said, you need to do I've seen you call timeouts, stand over there, ask us questions, then go get the clipboard. Look at the sky. Look down. Look down, look around. Okay, guys, this is what we're going to do, all right? Together, we can then they go and do it exactly like you told them to do it. I say, this dude is wow. This dude is wow. I got a coach on my staff right now, Jack Morgan, who played for Coach Wise. And he came around me and he just kept watching me, never saying, they just kept watching. And he kept watching. He kept watching. He said, Coach, I asked you a question. Sure. He said, So this is how you coach all the time. I said, what do you mean? You say, Coach, this shit is so simple. I said, Let me ask you a question. If I make it difficult, who in the hell is going to stand and who's going to be to do something? He said, but now, Coach, this don't even make sense. What does that make sense? It's how easily you explain and how if you just got common sense, you can do it. I said, well, that's useful to coach basketball. Everybody got common sense. Because you coach it any other way, you won't get no results. And so he always say, man, people always ask, man, what does Coach Cordon do different from everybody else? He said. I told him say, man, shit. He do the simplest stuff to where, shit, these kids can't have nothing but to be successful. And he's like, what do you mean, simple? He said, man, there's nothing difficult about what he says. And Co Dave thought the same thing, man. So this is what you do? Yeah, shit, is it? What else am I supposed to be doing? He said, man, this shit is so simple. Yeah, it's supposed to be simple. So you got Coach want to use all these long 15 letter words. Keep looking at him like, man, what you just say? And to me, the simplest way I can put it is the easiest way for you to learn it. And I got mother. Coach. They trying to use the same terminology that I use. And they like, man, put your right leg up. If the ball is over here, I say, Coach, let me tell you something. All you got to do is say, put the foot that's nearest to the ball up. He looked at me and said, Goddamn, Coach, I didn't think of it like that. How else you supposed to think about it? I say the foot that's near to the ball. That's why it needs to be up. You keep them up. Put your right foot up, your left foot up. No, wherever the ball is, put that foot up that's nearest to the ball, you'll be fine. I got one coach. He said, Coach, I've learned so much basketball from you in two weeks, and I learned it all year. It's the simplest you can make. It is the easiest for the kids to be able to do it. It's not about trying to get the kids to know how smart you are. You want the kids to know that you can be efficient and understand what they want them to do in order to do what you need them to do. And you keep it in simplest terms. And that's what I've always done. That's what I always will do. Keeping the simplest terms, for sure, man. Coach, thank you for your time, man, and just appreciate you letting me, Cole, call you out the blue. I should be more respectful of your time, sir. When I tell my wife about the podcast, oh, that's going to be nice. She probably listened to it right now, but it's just she always tells me to always be able to give back to people, because I tell people all the time, I didn't get here by myself. I had people that helped me along the way that always give thanks to those guys that helped me along my way. And because outside of my Lord and Savior, there were some people that helped me as I made this trek down this journey through coaching. And never forget all the people to help me. And the sad thing to say about that, I never had any black coaches to help me. I really didn't. And all the black coaches I played for just wanted me to help them win games. All the white coaches I played for sat me down and talked to me about how this can help me moving forward in life. And those are the guys that gave me the things that I needed to know to be who I am today. It's just amazing that all my black coaches I had never took the time to set me down and explain to me what life would be about as I got older if I became a coach, what to expect, how to spend no knock on them. But I just felt bad that I didn't get that from them. But I got it, and now I'm trying to give it back to young black kids and everybody else. But for us, I always tell my kids, if we don't help each other, who's going to help us? And end of the day, if you're looking at the world now, our black kids are getting killed by the truckload because nobody's trying to reach out to them and help them understand. Not saying that mom and dad is not trying, but it takes a village to raise a child, and I want to be a part of that village to help raise kids the best that I know how, to get them to do things and help them understand that, yes, I'm hard, but I'm fair. I'm getting your ass. At the end of the day, I'm going to love you like my son. And one thing I didn't tell you that I got from one of my coaches when I was at Bushwick, if you notice, every Wednesday, I told my kid, I love you like my son. And the reason why I started doing that outside of my coach doing it with us is because I've realized that a lot of times kids don't hear those words from nobody. And so why not hear from somebody? To spend a lot of time with you that you don't know that can show you that sometimes it's tough love, but I still love you as though you're my son. And I tell him all the time, my son played for me and my son, he won a state championship, and he called hell on both ends at school and at home because he had to watch them at home with me. And we're just me and him and I'm getting in his ass. You got to go to school and watch them with the team. And I'm still getting in his ass. And I got sons right now. I'm a son to work in the oil business. I won this coach and the rest of them in all business, so they like, Daddy, man, we understood all of what you were saying. We heard you when you coaching those guys because I took Travis and I went to the state tournament with me because I was on the two at the time, and they were part of that glory days of me coaching those guys and hearing me in the locker room at halftime. The paint coming off the wall. They were around all of that. So they knew, dad is going to play, man. He'd get on those jobs like that, man, what are you going to do to us? And I try my best not to get to a point where my kid never think I don't love them, because they need to hear that. You need to show them some kind of way. And one thing I do practice every day, if I get on your ass real hard and practice, promise you're not going to walk out the gym and be mad at me. You're going to laugh about something before you go home. And at the end of the day, if I can get you to laugh about something that we can talk about after I didn't chew with your ass out for about 15 minutes, and I can get you to laugh on the way out that door and give me a hug and say, I love you, Coach, then I'm doing the right thing. Yeah, Coach. Man. Again, master class. Coach. I think that somebody story is amazing, man. Again, man, I love you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your staff. Thank you for letting me call you and ask you questions when I need it. Thank you for references that you've given me. Thank you for letting me emulate your style and just being a good mentor, man. I appreciate you. Me and Coach Gabriel have benefited from your tutelage, so just appreciate you, man. Love you too, man. And the fact that we can still call on each other and still have that friendship in that bun. It may not be like it was in the past where we were running us every day, but knowing that if something ever came about, I could call on you, you can call on me and other guys that's been around me, coaching with me or not, coach with me, can call me about anything, anytime. I've had the same phone number for shit, probably all my life. I can't change it because too many college coaches have it. And so it's just guys that have gone on to college and grown men now, they still call me for advice once again, which means that some kind of way I've said something, I've done something that has stuck with you and made you be able to call me and make sure that you're doing it the right way. And as long as I'm doing it that way, I can kill. That's what other people say about me and how I do things, because I don't answer to none of those people. I have one person, two people I answer to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, my wife. And that's who I answer to, my dog. Amen. Before I leave. Where can I listen? An audience find you at coach, any social media, you got Facebook or Twitter, you don't do nothing. No social media. Only social media that I have is at Marshall social media at Bucks Basketball. That'S me at Bucks basketball. I don't really do social media stuff because nothing I need to say on social media. People that I talk to, we talk, just like you and I talking now. You call me or you come by, we run to each other. But me being on social media has never been something that has interest me at all my kids. I coach. You ain't on social media? No, I don't. That's how old school I am, because I don't think I need all that for people to reach out to me. For the most part, everybody knows where I am, can get in touch with me for being at Marshall High School. Email me or whatever the case may be, call me, going to always respond. It might not be immediately that day, but the next day I'm going to respond. And I still have guys that have not been a part of my coaching tree that have called me about things, about their coaching. I've had the coach from Seven Lakes call me, want to talk. I had to coach from Strap. He wanted to talk about his teams. And I've had college coaches call me. They want to talk about some stuff. Social media has not been a part of me, but people still know how to get in touch with me when they think that they want to ask me about coaching or how to handle the kids or whatever the case may be, I'm always be there to respond. Matter of fact, selfish plug again, I'm a principal, and I told my coaching staff I had to have two brand new coaches. And I said, Listen, guys, I'm going to tell you all right now. I really want you all to stay. I'm going to require you. You have to meet Ronnie courtney. You need to make a way to meet him, get into his practices and see how he coaches basketball. So I'll put that out to my new coaches that I have, and I expect that because I think when we're talking about excellence, there's no better example in Texas currently that's accessible and that is willing to do and owe you a bottle of something, coach, you know what? I've had coaches come by me practice to sit down and watch me practice my practice sessions. I don't I don't when I know you there, I'm not getting ready to try to do some elaborate stuff that's going to excite you. I'm going to do what I do. I had one coach say, Coach, let me ask you a question. I say, yes, sir. What is it? This is what you do every day? Yeah, this is it. He says. So I'm trying to figure out how is this? I just thought that you winning and you're not doing anything out of the ordinary. I said, Coach, I don't know how to answer that question, but I know for a fact what you see me doing today. I'm going to do this every day, and I'm not going to change. My routine is the same when you that bush. I got the same routine at Marsh. Hey, I believe you. I don't come in a gym for the first ten or twelve minutes, and I do that because I want to make sure my kid understand what discipline is all about. So I don't want to walk in and stand up, you like your prisoner and say, do that. I'm going to give you what we do from the very beginning. I'm not coming in there. My other coaches may be in there, but I'm not coming. Because when I walk in that gym, I better see what's going on that I already told you I won't see going on. And if I don't see that, then there's a price to pay. But in kids that they're different today, and I told them another day, I said, Man, I don't want to have to stand over you like a prison guard with a gun and a stick. If I tell you I need you to do something, I expect you to do exactly that. And so now when I walk in and Martin, for the first ten or twelve minutes, you know what's going on. We want the three man weed, the laker drill, the defensive slide. We stretch it. That's my first part of my practice, and that's what it still is. Once that's over it, then I began to teach one thing. I think I don't know how many people look at it this way. I don't coach basketball. I teach it. A lot of guys coach it. I teach it because if you teach it, then it's easier to learn as opposed to coaching it. And that's the difference. Coaching it means that you do it to a point where it's just for that game. When you teach it, it's for life. Because everything I teach is a lifelong lesson, playing as a unit. When you go to a job, you ain't going to be the only working by yourself unless you got your own business and you have people working with you anyway. But when you teach basketball, it teaches you how to be a team player with people outside of sports world. So if you become in a corporate America and there's a team of y'all working together, you don't come together, you will collaborate, and you're going to get it worked out. And your coaching is for that moment. I got to win this game so they coach it. But if I teach it, I'm teaching for the moment. But at the same time, that moment I'm teaching in, it's going to reflect back to something that you have to do in life. And that's how I've always done basketball. Hey, Coach. You amazing, man. I appreciate you. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, and anytime you want to come back on, if there's anything I could do for you, man, you know you got it, Coach. Anytime you need me to come back on, you know I do is comment. You got some stuff that come up and you don't understand. I supposed to work out. You and I sit on this TV, on this screen all day until we work it out, man. And it ain't about sports. I know you're a principal. I never been no principal, but I know you're dealing with kids like I deal with kids, so shit, man, shoot at me, man. And we'll get it done. Most definitely, man. Thank you for coming on the show. All right, man. Appreciate you. Peace out. Welcome back to the board. Fan. This your favorite coach? Coach Jeffrey, and I am excited to be an ISTI Ambassador for 2023. ISTI is the world's leading organization dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of educators and students through the use of technology. As an Ambassador, I will have the opportunity to share my passion for technology with educators from around the world. I will also have the opportunity to learn from other educators like yourself and collaborate on innovative projects. I am confident that this experience will help me become a better educator and make a positive impact on the lives of my own students. I would like to send a huge congratulations to the other ISHD ambassadors tyce and Roberta Bento, the E twins, Mario and Alberto. Jorge Valenzuela, jason Trend, martha Bonillarno, nate Lyons, matt Miller and Dr. Jennifer Miller. So like we always do at this time, let's collaborate, communicate, and educate with the best educators in the world right here on Flipboard.edu Podcast. Flipboard FAM, thanks for sticking with us on this episode. I would like to thank Ronnie Courtney, one of my favorite coaches, for coming to speak with us about just being a mentor. I really appreciate you, Coach. I also want to give a shout out to Aileen Leylore and Crystal Vanderblum for the edits on the Flipboard.edu Podcast magazine. Also want to give a shout out to everybody going to ISTI in Philadelphia. Hey, let's have fun. Everybody be safe. There's going to be a lot of educational technology and learning, so I'm looking forward to that. Also want to give a shout out. To. Everybody that is in education currently right now. Okay, so like we always do about this time, let's collaborate, communicate and educate with the best educators in the world right here on Flipboard.edu Podcast.