You've worked 25 years in Edgecombe County. Did you think it would last this long?

No. My intention was to work a couple of years in Edgecombe County for a couple of years and go back to Halifax County, where I played my high school sports, but Edgecombe County kind of rolled out the red carpet for me and kind of welcomed me in, and it just became my second home.

You've seen the good and bad. Do you enjoy rebuilding or consistently winning?

To me, winning is taking someone from a point where they are and taking them forward. If that's a win, that's a plus. If that person has improved to me, that's a win, probably not to the public. Some of my best coaching has (been) seasons when we didn't have winning records. You have to satisfy your public, because they play bills. But as far as winning, taking kids in the right direction and getting them to make the right decisions, I think I've been pretty successful. I like winning a child's heart over and getting them to do the right things.

Your players seem to embrace you. What is your secret recipe?

Even when I was younger, I've always tried to be a father figure to them. We are in a section of Edgecombe County where a lot of our kids aren't in thriving households and they need somebody to reach out to them. I try to be fathers to them because a father can take you a lot farther than a brother. A lot of times, I'm not the most popular person because I don't let them do everything they want to do, but I try to make sure they do what they need to do.

What are realistic goals for this season's team?

That's a tough one because my roster shows 16 seniors, but eight or nine of them weren't on the team last year. We're telling them that if we stay focused, I think we can go two or three rounds into the playoffs. We have to get better because there are so many new faces. Fortunately for me, we have a coaching staff that's the same. We're looking to try and finish in the top of the conference and go as far as we can in the playoffs. I think that's realistic for us.

How do you spend the little down time you have?

I use my down time to try and help them during the offseason to get ready for the next season. Down time for me is spending time with them when I don't have to be as strict. I try to play basketball with them, not as much as I used to. My main thing to get me back rested and refocused is my family. I love spending time with my kids and my wife. Being with them re-energizes me to get back out there and work with those kids that don't have what we have at home.

What's the difference you've seen in athletes since you've been coaching?

I tell my coaches, 'The worst thing we can do now is try and compare kids with how they were in the '80s and '90s. There was a time when I'd bring electronic things to school and they'd be fascinated. Now, they have more things than I do, probably. Times are different . To be successful, you have to adjust to the times. I try to get them to see what it takes now to be successful. So far, I've just been fortunate.

By me having a lot of their older brothers or uncles, they come in already respecting me, so it's just a matter of me staying firm and adjusting to their situations.