Five
decades and the hunger still exists for Watts
Southern
Sports & Travel, by Darron Thomas
Master
craftsman, there are a handful of interpretations of what one is but I prefer
to offer up my own after exploring the term. “An aspiring person would have to pass through the career chain from apprentice
to journeyman
before he could be looked upon as a master craftsman. He would then have to
produce results and a masterpiece before he could actually join the
guild. If the masterpiece was not produced, he would not be allowed to join the
guild, possibly remaining a journeyman for the rest of his life.”
In 2011 Dale Watts was inducted into the MAIS Hall of
Fame but he achieved master craftsman status many years before.
At
the age of 59 Brookhaven head coach Dale Watts has no intention of retiring
soon. Now in his fifth decade of coaching Watts admits he has changed his outlook
on particular aspects of teaching the game of basketball since his first
coaching job at Centreville Academy in 1975 when he would never second guess
anything with regards to his coaching. Now in his 20th season at
Brookhaven he readily admits there are times he wishes he had done things differently
with respect to strategy after a game and he is quick to state that he is still
learning the game he has been a part of since early childhood.
The
product and 1971 graduate of Columbia Academy, Watts was a member of the Cougar
state championship squad his senior season.
Widely
known in the MAIS arena Watts achieved great success during his tenure at
Parklane Academy from 1977-1993. Until his arrival Parklane had never won a boys
state championship in basketball but in just five seasons the Pioneers would
hoist both a State and Overall Championship trophy.
Parklane
would win another Overall Championship in 1990 but he would leave the McComb
school and head north in 1994 to Brookhaven Academy.
Brookhaven
had achieved success on the court prior to Watts’ hiring, winning one Overall and
three State Championships and while the Cougar program advanced to the brink of
the state title on a few occasions after Watt’s arrival it wasn’t until the
2002-03 season that the most dominant stretch of Class AA boys basketball would
begin.
Brookhaven
would capture their first state championship in thirteen seasons that year with
a 92-60 win over Leake.
Two
seasons later Brookhaven would run off six consecutive state championships
before Marshall Academy broke the string in 2011.
There
have been some wins more memorable than others for Watts and some of those
weren’t for state championships but for the master craftsman teaching the game
and seeing the fruits of his labor is most gratifying.
For
many the only side of Watts they see is the basketball version, one that
opposing fans love to talk about and sometimes not in the most flattering way.
The coach is well aware of that fact but he loves to dispel the image that some
portray of him.
The
correlation between disciplined coaching and success in life go hand in hand to
Watts and seeing or hearing from former players who have gone on to become
successful in life brings him much satisfaction.
I
had the privilege of sitting down with Coach Dale Watts for over an hour this
week talking about portions of his five decades of coaching, my hope is you’ll
enjoy a different insight as to who the man is.
.
Brookhaven Head Coach Dale Watts
(Part One)
(Part One)
(Part Two)
