by John Reid

Although football season is in full swing in schools across the area, we’re only a few months away from the sounds of squeaking sneakers pirouetting on the hardwood floors of gyms everywhere. We met with a few coaches to share their thoughts as they get ready for another season during the Fall League scrimmages taking place at Potomac High School.

We spoke with Hylton High School Head Basketball Coach Barry Smith on the goals he has for his Bulldogs this season.

“We always have the goal of winning a championship,” he said, “and we’re getting the workouts in the pre-season to get prepared. It’s not about perfection, as only one team gets to win the trophy every year. It’s about giving our best efforts.”

Smith talked about what steps are needed to get there. “You have to be lucky, and you have to be talented. You have to be healthy. My philosophy has always been to surround yourselves with people who love the game of basketball. It means they’ll do everything necessary to compete in and outside of the classroom.”

So, what would that require? “Patience,” he responded. “I understand that it’s not going to happen overnight. Sometimes the kids see a lot on social media, and they may get frustrated sometimes, but I told them to be patient and keep working. They can only be the best version of themselves they can be.”

“We’ve had some seasons where we played for championships, but the thing I’m most proud of is that my kids have graduated. That ball is going to stop bouncing one day, but you have to have that foundation, and what we teach in sports is to work towards your goals. Put yourselves in position to be a contribution to society.”

Freedom High School Coach Mike Harris, who returned after a successful season last year, reflected on how things ended. “I’m looking forward to the season,” he said. “I think we came up a little bit short of the goal last year, and we had a bad second half in the regional semifinals against Forest Park. That happens, we had played a triple overtime game the night before.”

“I was extremely proud of that group,” he continued, “and this year we have a new team. We’re going to go out and compete, especially our young guys. We had three sophomores and two freshmen. It will help with our depth.”

Many of his players are dual athletes, with many of them playing for the football team, which won it all last year. He mentioned how it opens the door for the younger players to shine.

“It’s a great teaching opportunity, because we have at least eight guys that are on the football team, so we’ll have our team around mid-December. It gives these other guys a chance to develop and see who’s going to help us now and in the future.”

His goals are about more than just winning on the court, it’s about changing perceptions.

“The key is to change the culture around Freedom High School. Not in a negative way, but the reality is that Freedom has gotten a bad rep. I got back into high school head coaching after being in the league for a long time at Marymount (University) and Mary Washington. I was going to hang it up, but I had some buddies of mine call me and ask if I could come down and coach.”

“At first, I didn’t want to do it, but it was a call from God that said, ‘This is the one for you,’ and I answered the call.”

Christ Chapel Academy Coach Clint Simmons Jr., who has coached both middle and varsity basketball for 17 years, says that he has a greater perspective as he goes into another season. “It means a lot,” he said. “Now I’m starting to enjoy the journey that I’m taking. When I was in it early on, I wasn’t appreciative of it because I was always trying to make sure we were on top. Now, we have a JV program, and every year we made the states. We’re the only school that has made states in Division III 12 years in a row. The beautiful thing about it is when the kids graduate, they want to come back and talk to the kids.”

“I’ve always wanted to put together the family atmosphere, and I’m glad that we have that.”

What are some lessons that he’s learned along the way?

“What I’ve learned is you have to be flexible” he continued. “We have a small school, so every time a kid may get sick, or have bad grades, we have to make adjustments because we don’t have enough kids. That happened a few years back, and I realized there are other ways to go about it.”

He talked about what it means to coach an inexperienced squad. “This is one of the youngest teams we’ve ever had, so I know it will take time for them to adjust. I do have my gameplans and philosophies, but I may have to change up based on the roster.”

Coaching in a small school environment, where they may not be able to recruit talent like the larger schools, gives a unique opportunity for camaraderie. “It has its pluses and minuses. The minus is the kids I have right now is what we are going to have. The advantage is that we do have that small school atmosphere, so the kids are always around each other. They go to many of the same classes. Eating lunch together, walking in the hallways, and it shows on the court.”

Potomac High School Head Coach Anthony Mills, in his second year, talked about going from being on the 2004 Group AAA finalist team to holding the main clipboard. “For me, I graduated from Potomac High School in 2005, so the expectations remain the same,” Mills said. “Play with a lot of intensity, get after it, and wreak havoc on teams.”

“Coming back to this school, and the grind to continue doing what we’ve done, it’s always about winning. If we don’t reach the state championship or regional finals, we felt like we’ve failed.”

One of the ways he plans to get there is by incorporating younger players. Mills says that many of them are already ingrained in the culture through active participation. “A lot of them get it because they come to the games,” he said. “You’d be surprised how many people come to our home games and one the road. When we start our Blue Blood programs in the summer, we install that into the kids that it’s about playing hard. We’ve been able to have that success each year.”

“The culture, it hasn’t changed,” he continued. “The way we go about things hasn’t changed. That’s just what we know. It means something to wear that jersey. You’re part of the legacy. I tell the kids that someone wore that uniform before them, and when they come back, they expect you to play with the same passion. That’s Potomac in a nutshell.”

The key is to ensure the players maintain a singular focus. “I think it starts in the offseason and holding everyone accountable. One thing we do is try to keep the gym open all the time, that way they can’t fall into any trouble. It makes them think when they’re in the neighborhood, or at school.”

“This basketball team means something to them, and they see the coaches that are going to push them. It’s not me, the staff is phenomenal in how they bring the energy each and every day.”

Finally, we spoke with Evangel Head Coach Marlon Marshall, as he talked about the transition into coaching in the private school spectrum. “Going into this new season and coming from a public school into a private school is a different experience,” he said. “I’m learning on the situation with recruiting, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the preparation. We’re working out kids on Saturdays and Mondays, so we have two days a week to prepare.”

One of the things he enjoys is meeting with other coaches while seeing his players at the Fall League games. “What it means is that I can now start reaching out to the other kids. In public school, you can’t do those things. In the private school, you can offer scholarships to bring them to your school. So, we’re building from the ground up.”

So, what has it been like meeting the new players?

“It’s been great, meeting with the kids. They’ve been receptive to Coach Marshall’s style.”

One word to describe this year’s goals: “Growth. We’re young, and I found out we won’t have any juniors or seniors this year. The advantage is that I can implement my system, and being that they’re young, you can get buy-in early.”

Going forward, “All I see is championships and scholarships. They’re great kids, and the most important thing is to get them into great schools. I’ll make sure they win on the court and off the court.”