You could say it started Monday, April 12th 2021, when I received the phone call notifying me I was being offered the head coaching position at Middleton High School. I was told to wait an hour before posting anything, which I did. I immediately called my wife, Shayla, and told her we need to get the house up for sale. We got the job. We’re Middleton Vikings now.
From the outside looking in, that may have been the day. On the inside, it started years before with a dream to begin a coaching career when I realized my playing days were coming to an end. You know the story. Countless hours of study. Countless hours of preparation. Countless hours of conversations with Shayla. Countless hours spent in the gym. Countless hours reaching out to other successful coaches. The list could go on and on. This isn’t about a list, or an accomplishment. This is about another step in a fascinating journey with a group of kids that we love.
I’d be remiss not to mention my wife first. She’s the reason I can do this and make it work in our family dynamic. Her willingness to allow our girls to grow up in the gym cannot go unnoticed. I try to involve them as much as possible. It’s a lot of time. And I’m not only talking about practices, film and games. I’m talking about the logistics, the operations and numerous amounts of decisions that go on behind the scenes. I’m talking about the endless conversations about the kids that I bring home to talk to her about. I trust and value her opinion on every message I send out and every conversation I intend to have within the program. Every decision I make has her imprint on it. She is the reason why I can be in a position to achieve success.
My first goal was to begin to build relationships with my players. I became eager in my pursuit to seek out the players, have individual conversations and begin to build some rapport. This takes time. The first step to developing relationships is establishing trust. Trust can be lost in the snap of a finger! It requires consistency day in and day out, and is built over time. These kids had been very successful in their basketball careers, so I understood some initial skepticism. I had to prove it. I had to compete. I had to have the energy, effort and enthusiasm we so often preached to our program.
One of the most important aspects was bringing the right people on board to help out. I knew we were going to have a completely new staff, which I wanted. The issue was I had very few connections in the Treasure Valley from a coaching with perspective. I had a stack of resumes and began making calls. I called some trusted mentors to gain additional perspective and insight. After interviews, we began offering jobs. Luckily, all the coaches who were offered a spot accepted. Not only did we need to establish relationships with the players, but we needed to come together as a staff, and needed to do so quickly. It was crucial for consistent buy in, in order to teach the offensive and defensive schemes, use the same terminology, and work towards a common goal. This happened quickly, and was another step in the record breaking season we had.
I was told we were going to have multiple kids transfer. No one did. I was told we didn’t have a point guard. We did. His accolades will be announced soon. We finished the season 25-3, setting the record for the most wins in one season in Middleton basketball history. We also went on a 18 game win streak, setting the record for the most consecutive wins in Middleton basketball history. We came up a bit short in the State Tournament, losing in the semifinals to the eventual state champion. This hurt bad. I’m big into visualization and positive affirmations. Our minds are so powerful. I had spent the last 11 months visualizing winning the State Championship with this group. I wrote it down over 200 times. I taped it on the bathroom mirror, along with other goals I wanted to achieve. Basketball consumes my mind, and the preparation made it feel like it was apart of me already. I’ll always regret not making an adjustment or two in that game. But that’s the life of a coach at times. It’s part of what makes the game so beautiful. I’m grateful we finished out the tournament strong, capturing the third place trophy and putting the stamp of approval on year 1.
None of this happens without a phenomenal group of players. They are the reason we reached record breaking heights. I would never take full credit for what they accomplished on the floor. They are the reason why Middleton basketball has been successful, past and present. I’m grateful to be able to play a small role in that achievement.
We have a lot of work to do going forward. I continue to get messages and comments made about finally being able to relax, take some time off, and not worry about basketball for a minute. That’s not how it works for basketball coaches though. At least not for me. Today gives me a chance to reflect, and then get back to work. The work continues today. Year 2 begins today. We’re excited about the future of Middleton Viking basketball, and thankful to be apart of this community and lead this program. #RollVikes
