Talking points.... Service, Unselfishness & Respect

We just completed our spring practice at Mercer County HS and we have had a very productive two weeks despite some unusually bad spring time weather.... including two snow days.  On Friday, we met as a team to watch video of our spring scrimmage and to distribute t-shirts to all the guys with no unexcused absences during our spring practice.

So.... what happens next?

Before breaking up into positions for video, we had a team meeting to discuss our program going forward. The obvious is we must continue in the weightroom to get stronger and be more explosive. But, there are some tangible things we can work on to become better teammates and a better team. Here is what we discussed:

Our team meeting on Friday gave me some talking points today in the hallway and in the lunchroom. 

Questions like:

1- Since last Friday, what have you done to serve others?

2- Since last Friday, what have you done that was unselfish?

3- This week at school, have you acted in a way that would earn respect?  Or, have you acted in a way that would make people lose respect for you, say negative things about you?

It gave our guys something to think about today and I enjoyed watching them as they tried to answer. I also enjoyed that we could have a conversation about something other than football. What we were talking about will help make them more successful young men. But, I also believe that it will make us a better football team and help us win games and championships in the fall. And, it will make Mercer County Senior HS a better school. 

At the FCA clinic this past weekend, 2 of the 4 speakers discussed leadership and culture. I have already had one coach of a very successful program tell me that his focus is on developing leadership in his program this spring.

The biggest lesson I learned during our 2017 season was that it is  no longer enough to expect hiring quality assistant coaches and running the program correctly to create the leadership and culture we want. I had to learn the hard way that I must be deliberate in getting our guys to provide leadership and work with the effort and attitude we need to be successful.

To be clear, we have outstanding young men at Mercer County. But, we have got to change the way we think.  We are making progress in that area. And, this really helps me evaluate... Am I leading in the right way? Am I thinking the right thoughts?  Am I serving my school, staff, players, & family?  Do I act in a way that earns respect?

Those are some tough questions. I think I will stop there! But, if we can all answer those questions well, we will be a better team this fall. And, more importantly, we will help our guys become successful husbands, fathers, and men.  I am fired up to ask more questions tomorrow at school. And, to our parents, fans, adults in the community, teachers..... please ask our young men these questions.  I love Friday nights and football.... and there is a bunch of GREAT stuff that goes with it!

The Mr. Basketball Question..... THREE???

Seygan Robins & Trevon Faulkner, 2018 Miss & Mr. KY Basketball
 believe it or not..... I coached Seygan's dad & brother 😀😀.
Photo by Harrodsburg Herald

So here we go again! One of my players, Trevon Faulkner, was named Mr. KY Basketball last night!  I am super proud of him. It is especially neat because Miss Basketball is also a Titan, Seygan Robins. She is a wonderful young lady and has lead our school to two state championships.

Trevon makes the THIRD FOOTBALL player I have coached to win Mr. KY Basketball!  The first two were Chris Lofton & Darius Miller at Mason County.  How does a FOOTBALL coach get to coach THREE Mr. Basketballs??

The number one reason is it is a blessing from God. There is nothing I did to deserve it. I am just thankful these three wonderful young men crossed my path, who also happened to be tremendous athletes.

I do think a reasonable question though is how do you make it work?  How does a guy make a commitment to a football team and also remain committed to being a great basketball player?

First of all, football made all three of these guys better in basketball. They were tough guys already, but football helped them in the physicality aspect of basketball.  No one is going to push these guys around on the basketball court. 

On their end of it, it only worked because all three were high character guys that were committed to their teammates.  I had to be flexible with summer workouts because of their demanding AAU schedules. Also, we get spring practice done in March so that they can get back to AAU in April. But, when those guys were available in the spring and summer and we had football practices or workouts, they were there. 

I can tell you this... Trevon Faulkner was at EVERY spring football practice last year. The total number of unexcused absences for football workouts and practices for Faulkner, Miller & Lofton.....ZERO.

Darius Miller as a WR @ Mason County HS

I like it when things go well for great people. This certainly applies to these three young men. And, wow, I am so thankful I got to be there coach. What an honor & blessing. 

I am looking for a good lawyer. When I start getting phone calls from great basketball players that want to be #4, I will need a good defense against the recruiting violations.  I promise to follow all KHSAA rules!  

Crazy but great. 

To Trevon, Darius & Chris..... THANK YOU from your old coach. What a blessing you have been and you still are!  

To their families..... THANK YOU for letting me coach your son!

Chris Lofton Jersey Retirement: Thompson-Boling Arena, January 2023 

The funniest part of all..... my first varsity basketball game  as a Mercer County HS Scottie, I fouled out in one quarter. God picked the worst basketball player in KY HS Basketball history to coach these 3 guys in football. We will get to Heaven and realize God has an incredible sense of humor!

The basketball question..... Bulldogs, Royals, Hogs, Dogs & Titans

My good friend Jeff Reese called me in January of 2016. He said.... "If I were a superintendent and wanted to fix my basketball program, I would hire you as my football coach!"  At the time he called me, both our Mercer girls and boys basketball were ranked number one or near the top. I had just completed my first football season with the Titans.  A few weeks later, both our boys and girls won the region and went to the state tournament.

Since that time, the Mercer County girls basketball team has won two state championships, the first basketball state titles in school history. During my time at Mason County, the boys won two state basketball championships, both were the first in school history, even though Mason County has traditionally been strong in basketball.

2018 State Champion Mercer County Lady Titans

So, how does this happen? Does hiring me as football coach make a basketball program better? The answer is simple.... NO.

In fact, everyone has it BACKWARDS. The same characteristics that make me think a football program has potential are many of the same reasons they have success in basketball.

1. Great kids.
When I was a teacher and assistant football coach at Paris HS, our basketball team had great games with Maysville HS & Mason County HS. I was always really impressed with the kids from those schools. They were tough kids that played very hard. When the Mason County job opened up and I knew I could coach kids from both of those HS schools due to merger, I knew I would enjoy coaching them.  They did not disappoint me. They had to learn to play football, but we had great kids who would work hard and some pretty good athletes as well.

I know what kind of athletes played football and basketball at Harrodsburg & Mercer County HS when I was growing up. I knew I would enjoy coaching the Mercer kids when the football position opened up.  The current athletes at Mercer, I knew a bunch of their Dads and even Moms and how they competed. Watching the Mercer boys in the region championship and our girls in the state championship this past week, definitely reminded me of how hard those old Maysville Bulldogs and Mason County Royals would compete back in the late 80's.  This past football season, we stunk in September and October. But, we had really good kids who would not quit. They hung in there and in November we played some very good football.

Emma, JCB & Trosper supporting the Royals at the 2006 State Tournament

2. Administration / Adults: Love kids and committed to winning and success across the board.
 I had some great bosses at Mason County and I have some great ones here at Mercer.  Quality people who want to win and love kids. I like working for people like that.

3. A community that loves kids and loves athletics.

The above reasons played a big role in why I wanted to be the head football coach at both schools.

One other factor though is that unlike other football coaches, good basketball doesn't scare me. Alot of football coaches are scared to take a job at a school that loves basketball. And, to be fair, alot of basketball coaches are scared to take a job at a school that loves football. That doesn't bother me. I think winning is winning. I hope my guys are use to winning in everything they do. Life is alot more fun when we are FOR each other and we can be happy for the success of other programs, people, and ALL of our kids.

Now, I did tell one of my football coach friends yesterday that if he sees his girls and boys coach together in a meeting, they are probably getting ready to fire him and bring me in has the new head football coach. Maybe if he shows them this blog post, they will let him hang around one more year. 😀

A Parent/Player Guide to College Football

I got a text from a parent this morning in regards to college football. This is page 6 of the book we give each family every May.  Brandon Smith, the head football coach of South Warren HS  was a big help in putting this together. 

College Football

Develop skills to play fast.  Use the offseason perfection periods if you are not in another sport.

Be a student of video, use Hudl. Improve your game and know your opponent.

Discipline yourself to play hard every snap- eliminate loaf video/ bad video.

Skills, speed, and tape are most important. Colleges always believe they can add the weight and strength.

Attend summer camps. Look for camps that have multiple schools there. Go to camp where you want to go to college. Prioritize your camps. Limited days and limited money. Hit as many one day camps as possible.

Respond to EVERY piece of mail, email,  or questionnaire you receive from a school. The offer from one school can start the ball rolling to more offers. Somebody has to be the first. The first offer is the toughest to get.

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook - clean or private.

Practice/develop 40, 20 yard shuttle, and vertical. Research camps & combines and prep for those drills.

The higher your ACT, the better your gpa, the more schools you can attend and the more $ you can receive.

Build highlights on Hudl. 10-15 GREAT plays.

Provide Coach Buchanan with recruiting email address and phone number for the coach & school you want your video sent.  Complete online questionnaire before you give the info to your coach.

Even in season, during other sports, continue to lift weights, get stronger, develop speed and conditioning. Do skill work to improve as able.

Nutrition is a discipline issue, not knowledge. Eat good food. Eat breakfast. Drink as much water as possible.

SLEEP!                                                                                                            STRETCH!

Bust your tail for your teammates. Your coaches need to be your best friend when college coaches call.  If you don't bust your tail and do right for the team, don't expect the coaches to go to bat for you when you need it.

Team Success helps you get noticed, not many players get recruited off of bad teams. Players that go further in the playoffs get more exposure and coaches assume they are winners.

Be open to playing any position, once you get there then you can prove you belong at your position.

The Transition Plan: What are the Priorities?

Reprint from American Football Monthly, May 1, 2015

Rex Lardner, the Managing Editor of American Football Monthly, is a good friend of mine. He asked me to share my transition plan on this blog. Holler at me if you have questions. Overall, I have tried to address people issues first and foremost. The people, players and coaches, are what drives a program. And, of course, the program is for the players! Email me questions if you have any at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us.
I would say that one month after accepting the job on 4/2/2015, the transition has gone well but has been pretty intensive. Since taking the job, I have driven to Harrodsburg 12 times to meet with coaches, players, and address items in the transition agenda. It is a round trip of 200 miles and takes close to two hours each way- 4 hours total for each day. I am completing the school year as a teacher at Mason County. I am not getting much sleep right now, and it is a tough balance trying to see my family while my son(John Combs) is in his last few months of HS (we also have a 16-year old daughter, Emma & 11 year old son, Trosper). But, it has to be done. And, no one will sacrifice or work harder than the tone set by the head coach. If the kids, coaches and community don't see a total all out effort and commitment from me, why would they make that type of commitment to our program? The answer is easy, they would not. You always have to lead by example.
Here is the Transition Plan:
Day 1:

1. Meet with team: Communicate expectations. Make my contact info available. Have team elect a transition council to provide me with information & input for planning remainder of off-season, pre-season, and season.
2. Make contact with current and prospective assistant coach candidates to set up interviews.
3. Arrangements made to continue current off-season workouts or set date for workouts to resume/begin.

Week 1:
1. Inspect and inventory helmets, shoulder pads & game uniforms.
2. Begin process of setting up Hudl to share drills and playbook w/ players & staff.
3. Post through social media, HS Scoop and state athletic association available coaching positions and teaching positions.
4. Interview current and prospective assistant coach candidates. Use job descriptions to establish roles and expectations.
5. Plan and distribute schedule for continuing off-season workouts.
6. Inspect weight room, locker room, game field, practice field, coaches’ office, equipment room & training room. Prioritize list of  concerns & areas that need attention.
7. Either individually or in small groups, begin meeting with players- starting with seniors, returning starters, and returning                lettermen. Gather their contact data and football information.
8. Begin to make a list of kids not currently playing football that should be. Gather that info from transition council and player meetings.
9. Contact the coaches of the other sports. Make efforts to coordinate schedules as well as possible..
10. Address college recruiting needs for current players.
11. Share my contact information and availability with faculty and local media.
12. Analyze financial condition & accounts of the program. Begin making plans for fundraising and spending priorities.
13. Check in daily with immediate supervisor at the HS - athletic director or principal.
14. Make contact with feeder program personnel. Begin process of getting everyone on the same page - Middle School Staff, Little League, YMCA & Flag Leagues.
ASAP
1. Complete hiring of staff.
2. Begin installation process of drills, offense, defense, & special teams with staff & players. Mini camp in June. Set up OTA's.
3. Establish perfection cycles and spring NFL Flag Football for lower grades.
4. Begin breakdown of opponents, priority is game #1. As able, share desired process with staff and delegate games and/or parts of breakdown.
5. Set up/plan pre-season Friday Night Camp for grades K-8.
6. As quickly as possible, move program from the transition period to a normal program schedule/timeline and process.
Here is our Transition Council Agenda. We did this on Saturday morning, April 11th, at 7 am. Some of the guys had track and baseball and that was the only time they could get there. It got my tail out of bed at 4 am that day. But, that is a positive!! It gave me a chance to demonstrate my commitment to them. And, to be fair, being at a 7 am meeting when you are a HS athlete is a pretty big commitment on a Saturday morning.... probably tougher for them than me! You know how us old guys wake up early anyway!
Transition Council Agenda:
1- What are traditions here that are important to you that we keep?
2- What are changes that need to be made?
3- Who are good kids/athletes that need to be playing football?
4- Our locker room, 2015 & beyond: How has it been set up in the past? What is the best way for me to issue equipment & lockers,  and keep track of each player’s locker & gear? What about putting the locker room on the top floor?
5- Pr1de gear. Explain how it is earned & kept. Shorts: red or blue? T’s: Red, blue - compression or regular?
6- Helmet: red stripe, white #. Sword & color? Oval M as a decal or sweatband? Titans word on sweatband?
7- Red jersey, UCLA insert. Blue/white/blue or white/blue/white? Titans or Mercer? OR: White #s with sleeve stripes in royal?
8- Pants: Silver. Red-blue-red or blue-red-blue?
9- Socks: White w/ royal or White w/ red?
10- All UA gear for 2015. Will that be a problem?
11- What is the best way to install/do spring practice? Will Fridays & Saturdays work? 5-7 pm? 6:30-8:30?
12- Can we do a June mini-camp? Baseball? Basketball?
13- Where do YOU want to practice?
14- What suggestions, comments for me? If you were the HC, what would you do to make the Titans a winner?
There have been some major bumps in the road and frustrations already. When you go from a set up of 19 years and start all over, it is like learning to ride a bike again.
But, the support is there from the school administration & community. I am crazy about the kids and the coaches. I am fired up about the opportunity to make sure the kids in my hometown get a chance to play in a GREAT football program. We start spring practice next week.... more driving and miles, but well worth it!!
Go Titans!