As a coach I try to make a difference not only in terms of basketball but also in terms of an education, because an education is actually more important than basketball. Basketball is just a means in terms of them being able to get a quality education. I always speak to them on how important an education is. I feel if you are doing well in the classroom you are going to do well on the basketball court. Through the years, that’s always been number one for me, to see them succeed after basketball.

I was first fell in love with the game in elementary school at St. Monica. I had a lot of great players ahead of me, Harold Sylvester, who went on to Tulane University and was one of the first blacks to play there. So it had a little bit of history there, but that’s where I fell in love with it. And like so many kids, it kept me out of trouble. 

One of my fondest memories of the game is winning a championship. The feeling of being a part of something and feeling like you contributed and have done your part and made this happen. It fills your interest and makes you want to be better and better.   I was one of the team members that the other players looked at as a leader. That meant a lot to me and especially when you are able to succeed and see those other players looking up to you it makes a big difference and really turned me around and made me a leader.

I thank the love of the sport. There are a lot of kids in New Orleans who love basketball, but there are not a lot facilities in New Orleans for kids to actually play but we have enough where if a kid is interested he can get involved from the biddy leagues to pick up games and that has made a big difference in a lot of kids lives. However, there are still kids out there who don’t have the opportunity to get there, to the leagues, the courts, the places where games are happening, basically because there is no transportation. With the problems we are having in the city, parents don’t allow their kids to go on their own and if they can’t bring them they don’t get there. 

The positive effects of the game for me has been when I bring in student-athletes I always stressed the importance of an education. And to see those kids grow and learn how important an education is and watching those boys grow into men and when they realize what they have to offer to society has meant a lot to me. I had a number of them turn into lawyers, doctors, dentists and I feel good about that. My main purpose is that they graduated and got through school. 

What the game taught me and what I now have to offer to my kids, as coaches we have to be leaders but also teachers. Making certain young men rise to the occasion and do what they have to do whether it is on the court or in the classroom. We have to. 

I had great coaching all the way through; it helped build a foundation of what I wanted to do. When I felt I couldn’t make pro ball like a lot of us had the dreams to, I turned to coaching. Everything I learned is from the coaches I have previously had and I respect that. When I was playing at Xavier, there was a nun, Sister Grace Mary Flickinger, and she meant the most to me and a whole lot of other athletes. She stayed on us about the academics. We weren’t allowed to just get by with just a little, we had to do what it took to graduate and she is responsible for that. She is still at Xavier and is the academic coordinator; she was the one person who mattered for me. For a lot of these athletes as they get older and graduate, there is going to be that one person who made a difference and turned their life around. 

Interview by Will Steacy

All photos courtesy of -Wyatt Gallery
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