Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
While girl’s basketball programs such as Leake and Brookhaven get most of the attention a team in northern Mississippi is beginning to enter the conversation as a program on the rise in MAIS basketball. North Delta School sits just 27 miles west of Oxford in Batesville and under the direction of head coach Phil Douglas the Lady Green Wave have notched some quality wins the past two weeks that have them ranked at #4 in the latest Southern Sports & Travel poll. The sophomore laden squad has picked up wins over AAA schools such as Starkville, Magnolia Heights and Pillow and fell to a great Kirk (21-1) team by three points last week.
The evolution of the girl’s program at North Delta has been a result of lots of hard work and dedication but also the implementation of a tried and true mindset obtained through many years of coaching and teaching that is applied at the early stages of developing players through fundamentals. The North Delta girl’s basketball program hasn’t reached the level of a Leake or Brookhaven but they are navigating their way in that direction.
The evolution of the girl’s program at North Delta has been a result of lots of hard work and dedication but also the implementation of a tried and true mindset obtained through many years of coaching and teaching that is applied at the early stages of developing players through fundamentals. The North Delta girl’s basketball program hasn’t reached the level of a Leake or Brookhaven but they are navigating their way in that direction.
Coach’s corner…….. 
This week: North Delta head coach Phil Douglas
*What or who inspired you to get into coaching?
“I have felt that I wanted to coach since I was in the 6th grade. I started coaching youth baseball in the summer when I was 14 and continued to work with that program for 22 years. It has always intrigued me the "chess match" that takes place as coaches make adjustments during the course of the game. Having surrendered my life to full time Christian service when I was a teenager, I saw coaching as a platform to be used as a witness for the Lord. There are many coaches who have been my mentors. Early in my coaching career I used to work with Van Chancellor in his summer camps and he would come to my school and spend a week with me working my camp. I would pick his brain every opportunity I had. I was in the same division with Doyle Wolverton in the early '80s and had the opportunity to learn from his work ethic. Richard Duease and I have been friends for years and the list goes on and on of coaches that I have borrowed from to make me a better coach. I will never forget one of the first MAC coaching clinics I attended. In walks Bert Jenkins and Gerald Austin. You would have thought Moses and Aaron had just walked in. I was in awe of the programs they established and maintained. I continue to learn from coaches of all ages.”
*North Delta has jumped four spots in the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings, are your girls starting to gel at the right time?
“This team has matured tremendously since the beginning of the season. We have 9 sophomores, 1 junior and 3 seniors on our roster. It has really been rewarding to see how this team has grown. Quality wins over opponents such as MRA, Delta, Pillow, Magnolia Heights, Marshall, and Indianola have given my young team confidence that they can make a legitimate run in the post season.”
*What are the strengths and weaknesses of your squad? Depth & experience?
“It has really been amazing how this program has evolved in the 4 years I have been at North Delta. The varsity program had not won a game for 2 years prior to me coaching them. Our first year we went 12-15 with only 5 varsity players on the roster which included 4 sophomores and 1 freshman. We played 3 - 8th graders up and down just to have a team. The following season one of our starters transferred to public school so that left us with 4. Using 4 jr high girls playing up and down we improved our record to 24-12, advanced to the second round of the north state, losing to Bayou, the north state runner-up, in the closing moments of the game to narrowly miss going to the state tournament. This year we moved from A to AA. Our team has grown to 13 legitimate varsity players which includes the girl that went to the public school who decided to come back to North Delta. Most games we mix 9 players in our rotation only 3 of whom are seniors. These girls won 68 games as jr high players, were district 1A runner-up in '06, and district champions in '08 so they know how to win. It is hard to single out one person you have to stop to beat us because we have such a balanced scoring attack. We have good depth at the post and the perimeter so obviously that is a strength. You could look at our youth and not being battle tested at the varsity level as a weakness but as I said earlier these quality wins are really boosting our confidence. At this point I have to mention our jr high team for this year. We had 7 key players from our 24-1 district champion team move to varsity so you would think with such a young team there would be a rebuilding year, but not the case. We are 12-2 right now and plan on finishing strong in district play. We start 4- 8th graders and 1- 9th grader and rotate 4 to 5- 8th graders most games. We have 22 on the jr high team this year and next year will have 31 next year. The future of girl’s basketball at North Delta will hopefully be strong for many years to come.”
*Talk about the basketball program at North Delta.....how much time is spent with the younger players with regards to fundamentals, what is the ideal age to start teaching fundamentals and is there ever enough time to teach the game?
“I have already talked about how the program has evolved. My first year at ND I began a pee wee program. I devoted every Saturday from October thru January to working with our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. Overall this year we have 56 girls involved in basketball from the 5th thru the 12th grades. That's not bad for a school that is just barely AA. I have 3 children of my own. Two of them played ball at the collegiate level, were all state and played in the all star games. I started working with them by the time they could walk so no, they’re never too young. We have a 1 year old granddaughter and we have already started working with her. I think that it should be fun though and every coach and parent needs to understand that basketball isn't for everybody.”
*Which player or players provide the team leadership that is so critical for success?
“We have been to the team camp at MRA each year I have coached at North Delta. During this week we elect team captains. This is not just a title, it is a responsibility. Obviously we look to them for leadership but not just to them. Each game is an opportunity. Success builds confidence and confidence success. Our players know who the "go to" people are in the closing moments of the game, but I don't want anyone on the floor who isn't willing to take the shot to win the game.”
*What is the biggest challenge with regards to preparing your girls week in and week out as post season play approaches?
“Every game is a challenge. There are no "cupcakes" left on our schedule. For example, this week we play Kirk again at Kirk, Carroll at Carroll, and Marshall at home. You have to be mentally and physically focused for every game. My wife, Nancy, is my assistant coach and between us we have practice running like a factory. We work as a team to prepare the girls mentally and physically for each challenge.”
*If you could change one thing about high school basketball what would it be?
“I can't single out any one thing that I would change. I have been blessed to be a part of a large fraternity called coaching. My first chance to coach at the varsity level was at North Delta in '79 when it was at Pleasant Grove. Overall I have spent 18 years coaching in the private school and 16 in the public school. Early in my career I felt that the overall perception of public schools was that private school athletics and coaching was inferior. I think that we get too caught up in the public school/private school thing. I have good friends who coach in both leagues, have coached in the public and private school all star games and have taken my teams to state championships in both leagues. Coaching is coaching period! If you're a coach, you teach the game. This doesn't change. Respect the game for what it is. The squeaking of the tennis shoes, the smell of popcorn, the roar of the crowd, the excitement in the dressing room after a big win, and seeing kids grow and learn and some to go on and play in college. These are the things that make the sport so much fun and so much a part of who I am and hope to be for many more years.”
*Do you like the new playoff format that allows only three teams to advance each week?
“Having coached for 34 years I have seen it all. I don't really have strong opinions concerning this. Obviously it makes the consolation game much more important.”
*What will it take for North Delta to make a run in the post season?
“A very successful coach once told me that he had rather be lucky than good any day. I think that it takes a little of both. You have to have everyone healthy, play well at the right time, be in a favorable bracket, and play the game well enough to be in a position to win in the last minute of the game. That's where a little luck doesn't hurt.”
This week: North Delta head coach Phil Douglas
*What or who inspired you to get into coaching?
“I have felt that I wanted to coach since I was in the 6th grade. I started coaching youth baseball in the summer when I was 14 and continued to work with that program for 22 years. It has always intrigued me the "chess match" that takes place as coaches make adjustments during the course of the game. Having surrendered my life to full time Christian service when I was a teenager, I saw coaching as a platform to be used as a witness for the Lord. There are many coaches who have been my mentors. Early in my coaching career I used to work with Van Chancellor in his summer camps and he would come to my school and spend a week with me working my camp. I would pick his brain every opportunity I had. I was in the same division with Doyle Wolverton in the early '80s and had the opportunity to learn from his work ethic. Richard Duease and I have been friends for years and the list goes on and on of coaches that I have borrowed from to make me a better coach. I will never forget one of the first MAC coaching clinics I attended. In walks Bert Jenkins and Gerald Austin. You would have thought Moses and Aaron had just walked in. I was in awe of the programs they established and maintained. I continue to learn from coaches of all ages.”
*North Delta has jumped four spots in the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings, are your girls starting to gel at the right time?
“This team has matured tremendously since the beginning of the season. We have 9 sophomores, 1 junior and 3 seniors on our roster. It has really been rewarding to see how this team has grown. Quality wins over opponents such as MRA, Delta, Pillow, Magnolia Heights, Marshall, and Indianola have given my young team confidence that they can make a legitimate run in the post season.”
*What are the strengths and weaknesses of your squad? Depth & experience?
“It has really been amazing how this program has evolved in the 4 years I have been at North Delta. The varsity program had not won a game for 2 years prior to me coaching them. Our first year we went 12-15 with only 5 varsity players on the roster which included 4 sophomores and 1 freshman. We played 3 - 8th graders up and down just to have a team. The following season one of our starters transferred to public school so that left us with 4. Using 4 jr high girls playing up and down we improved our record to 24-12, advanced to the second round of the north state, losing to Bayou, the north state runner-up, in the closing moments of the game to narrowly miss going to the state tournament. This year we moved from A to AA. Our team has grown to 13 legitimate varsity players which includes the girl that went to the public school who decided to come back to North Delta. Most games we mix 9 players in our rotation only 3 of whom are seniors. These girls won 68 games as jr high players, were district 1A runner-up in '06, and district champions in '08 so they know how to win. It is hard to single out one person you have to stop to beat us because we have such a balanced scoring attack. We have good depth at the post and the perimeter so obviously that is a strength. You could look at our youth and not being battle tested at the varsity level as a weakness but as I said earlier these quality wins are really boosting our confidence. At this point I have to mention our jr high team for this year. We had 7 key players from our 24-1 district champion team move to varsity so you would think with such a young team there would be a rebuilding year, but not the case. We are 12-2 right now and plan on finishing strong in district play. We start 4- 8th graders and 1- 9th grader and rotate 4 to 5- 8th graders most games. We have 22 on the jr high team this year and next year will have 31 next year. The future of girl’s basketball at North Delta will hopefully be strong for many years to come.”
*Talk about the basketball program at North Delta.....how much time is spent with the younger players with regards to fundamentals, what is the ideal age to start teaching fundamentals and is there ever enough time to teach the game?
“I have already talked about how the program has evolved. My first year at ND I began a pee wee program. I devoted every Saturday from October thru January to working with our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. Overall this year we have 56 girls involved in basketball from the 5th thru the 12th grades. That's not bad for a school that is just barely AA. I have 3 children of my own. Two of them played ball at the collegiate level, were all state and played in the all star games. I started working with them by the time they could walk so no, they’re never too young. We have a 1 year old granddaughter and we have already started working with her. I think that it should be fun though and every coach and parent needs to understand that basketball isn't for everybody.”
*Which player or players provide the team leadership that is so critical for success?
“We have been to the team camp at MRA each year I have coached at North Delta. During this week we elect team captains. This is not just a title, it is a responsibility. Obviously we look to them for leadership but not just to them. Each game is an opportunity. Success builds confidence and confidence success. Our players know who the "go to" people are in the closing moments of the game, but I don't want anyone on the floor who isn't willing to take the shot to win the game.”
*What is the biggest challenge with regards to preparing your girls week in and week out as post season play approaches?
“Every game is a challenge. There are no "cupcakes" left on our schedule. For example, this week we play Kirk again at Kirk, Carroll at Carroll, and Marshall at home. You have to be mentally and physically focused for every game. My wife, Nancy, is my assistant coach and between us we have practice running like a factory. We work as a team to prepare the girls mentally and physically for each challenge.”
*If you could change one thing about high school basketball what would it be?
“I can't single out any one thing that I would change. I have been blessed to be a part of a large fraternity called coaching. My first chance to coach at the varsity level was at North Delta in '79 when it was at Pleasant Grove. Overall I have spent 18 years coaching in the private school and 16 in the public school. Early in my career I felt that the overall perception of public schools was that private school athletics and coaching was inferior. I think that we get too caught up in the public school/private school thing. I have good friends who coach in both leagues, have coached in the public and private school all star games and have taken my teams to state championships in both leagues. Coaching is coaching period! If you're a coach, you teach the game. This doesn't change. Respect the game for what it is. The squeaking of the tennis shoes, the smell of popcorn, the roar of the crowd, the excitement in the dressing room after a big win, and seeing kids grow and learn and some to go on and play in college. These are the things that make the sport so much fun and so much a part of who I am and hope to be for many more years.”
*Do you like the new playoff format that allows only three teams to advance each week?
“Having coached for 34 years I have seen it all. I don't really have strong opinions concerning this. Obviously it makes the consolation game much more important.”
*What will it take for North Delta to make a run in the post season?
“A very successful coach once told me that he had rather be lucky than good any day. I think that it takes a little of both. You have to have everyone healthy, play well at the right time, be in a favorable bracket, and play the game well enough to be in a position to win in the last minute of the game. That's where a little luck doesn't hurt.”
The Douglas resume………
*Overall coaching record: 603-295
*Coach of the Year: 13 times
*2002 MAC 3A State Coach of the Year
*2003 MAC All Star Coach
*2009 MPSA All Star Coach
*B.S. University of Mississippi ‘73
*MEd University of Mississippi ‘78
*Masters in Leadership Delta State ‘94
*Overall coaching record: 603-295
*Coach of the Year: 13 times
*2002 MAC 3A State Coach of the Year
*2003 MAC All Star Coach
*2009 MPSA All Star Coach
*B.S. University of Mississippi ‘73
*MEd University of Mississippi ‘78
*Masters in Leadership Delta State ‘94
