Q & A

Q: What are your goals this season?

A: My No. 1 goal is for our sophomores to graduate and to place them at a 4-year university for them to get a scholarship at a university, that’s my No. 1 goal; and I think that there are four sophomores in general and I think there are three out of the four who I think are sitting great academically and I’m pretty confident that will happen. So additionally I think that we have a number of qualifiers here on this years team too meaning that, they came out of high school, they were eligible to go to a higher level right away but for whatever reason, whether it be finances or they didn’t get the right offer or whatever, they are luckily with us here at El Camino so I am hoping that our guys are in a good academic standing and on pace to graduate; and I’m sure you can relate to how tough it’s been to get classes here, especially trying to get out of here in two years is just an incredible feat as it is; so that’s my No. 1 goal. No. 2 is, well of course our guys and I’m sure every team in the state wants the state title, but in all honesty, my goal from a basketball standpoint is to compete and win the conference title; and that’s something that hasn’t been done here since the, I think, mid-80s’, so being a new coach here that’s my goal. Sure, I’d love to say “Hey we’re gonna try to win state,” but I mean my immediate 2-year goal for myself is that I want to be able to, A: compete for a conference title, I mean we’re in the mix at least and secondly obviously is to win one in the next two to three years tops so that would be kind of our immediate goal, in my opinion.

Q: So what have you been doing in order to prepare for that?

A: The guys have been doing a lot of conditioning; weight room training and we are very fortunate here at El Camino. We have a persona strength conditioning coach, Kim Jones, and she’s been outstanding as far as getting our guys physically ready to endure the rigors both that I demand and that they are going to encounter throughout the year. Our guys have been working at the gym anywhere from two to five hours a day. After Oct. 1 hit, they’ve been doing beach workouts, two to three days a week sometimes, to help get their legs and body in condition and stuff like that as well. In addition to all the other rigors we have of requirements of some community service and some study hall hours etcetera. As they would probably tell you, I own them (laughs). But I think that the reality is that’s being part of a team is not only the sacrifices that you have to make in terms of on the court, but also off of the court too. That the demands are great on athletes and so therefor the study hall hours and the implementation of those is very key, and likewise too I think that all of our basketball players are all very fortunate to be in the situation that they are. When we have the opportunity we make it a priority that we try to give back to the community in whatever capacity that may be.

Q: So who is your biggest competition right now?

A: Well, ironically, our first game is against No. 2 team in the state. So, I mean, we’re starting right out of the gate with an extremely talented team. Probably nationally now too, a team that’s been in Citrus College; probably been in the final four or final eight each of the last I don’t know, five, six years so they are preliminarily very good. They will be a great gage of where we are at as a program and this first year of our team, and trying to move forward. Just to kind of gage us as far as, you know, where are we, where do we need to go and I think, win or lose. We are going to find out a lot about ourselves on Friday night, so I’m looking forward to that. As far as our conference goes, L.A. Southwest is the defending conference champion on our side, because we have a split conference, but the team to beat without question, to my knowledge and from about everything I hear is Mt. San Antonio College so, I know that they have a number of division one players, kickbacks, so they are going to be roaring and ready to go. Depending on your perspective, fortunately or unfortunately they are on the other side of our conference. Even if we win our side, we’d still have a “conference title,” but I would love to win the conference outright and be the top team in our conference period. Not just on our South side.

Q: What do you think is the most rewarding part of coaching here at El Camino, or coaching in general?

A: For me personally, it’s really about having the opportunity to personally encourage and change lives. I’m as a competitive person that I have met, but at the same time I don’t place our wins and losses over our student’s welfare and health. Even bigger just the opportunities I lay before them and I try to hold them accountable to reaching the goals and the potential that I see in them. I think the biggest rush and the biggest thrill that I get is that I’m looking forward to already is hopefully coming in June, to watch those guys walk across stage, get the diploma and hopefully already have a scholarship signed where they’re going to finish out their last two or maybe in some guy’s cases three years of their education or athletic endeavors. For me I think it’s, you know in junior college, all of us coaches in this state are very competitive and anything else too I think it’s kind of our job to help matriculate these young men and to mentor these young men and facilitate their upward movement towards pursuing our four year degree. Hopefully providing them with some life skills as well as some life experiences that’ll help them down the road.

Q: What do you want these players to get out of this experience?

A: I’m hoping that when they leave here that they look back on this experience. Beyond the obvious as a positive experience, that we have a close family-knit bunch that has formed some bonding relationships in which they carry on for the rest of their lives no matter where they go. Or even if they never play again, wherever they go on to play as far as professionally at some level, or whether they get into coaching or just some other random business that they would maintain a mutual respect and just have this sense of accomplishment, which is what I’ve kind of preached to them in regards to having an opportunity to hopefully challenge for a conference title as something that you can gang a banner on the wall. And when you’re a team that accomplishes something like that, something that you can’t take away no matter what, you might get a ring maybe to show for it or whatever, but I want them to come back home. Even if they don’t win a conference title this year, and maybe we win it in three years, they say “I was a part if the team that started that.” That’s what I’m hoping, that it’s a positive experience, something that they’re proud of, their accomplishments, and the hard work and dedication that I demand from them. That it flows into parts of their life beyond basketball.