There was excitement in the air! In 2008, I was just hired as the Woods Charter boys’ varsity basketball coach!
In the local community, I began looking and recruiting young men, who would be interested in attending an awesome college-prep high school, and would like to be part of a great, upstart basketball program.
I ran into a parent/coach, who coached many kids in the local community. His name was Mark! Mark seemed like a good guy. After several discussions over weeks, he brought our discussion to a head.
Mark said, “Coach Berry, if I allow any of my players, and especially my son, to attend Woods Charter to play basketball, what can you guarantee them?” I couldn’t believe my ears, and was flabbergasted!
When a parent (or another coach) expects a coach to give a kid an unfair advantage, this phenomenon is called “twinkle, twinkle, little star!”
After I regained my composure, I said the following, “Mark, I’m sorry! I must have given you the wrong impression. Please let me explain how I roll! I don’t guarantee anything, other than I’ll be fair to everyone. Nothing is given to any player. It must be earned. Period! End of story!”
Mark didn’t like that. He looked very angry, and looked physically, like he wanted to do something! As you can imagine, our conversation came to an abrupt end. Needless to say, none of his players (including his son) attended Woods Charter. I was totally good with that. I’ll never be corrupted, or be someone else’s pawn. Being a man of honor, and integrity is critical to me.
At Youth Hoops Basketball Camps, I’ll never favor one camper over another.
Each kid is special (in my eyes)! By showing genuine interest in a kid, and cultivating their desire, breakthrough results occur. I’ve witnessed this repeatedly!
