Vince D’Adamo: Regardless of school, what is the No. 1 thing that brings you back to coaching high school athletics?
Manny Johnson: Watching kids grow as athletes, competitors, and people. Taking a diverse group of kids and seeing then coalesce as a team and working for each other is an awesome feeling. The part that is unique to high school and what I miss when coaching club is competing for a school. What I have missed the most about coaching at the varsity level is competing for league and section championships.
D’Adamo:It is often said that athletics and academics coexist, how much have you found that to be true?
Johnson: I am a teacher first and foremost and my classroom happens to be the gym when I coach. I feel like people forget the word student in the phrase "student athlete." Coaching is teaching and if we approach our program with that mentality then academics will always take precedent. I just had to talk to one of my athletes today about an SAT class that conflicts with practice. I laid it out for her that time management is just as if not more important than athletic ability. No matter how good of an athlete you are you won’t be able to compete if you don't make grades. The athlete and I looked at what options are available to her and can she manage to do both without missing practice. In the end I told her that we would support whatever decision she makes but if she's not at practice others may pass her by. The key word is may, if she's still our best option she plays. Period.
D’Adamo: Beyond victories and defeats, when bringing in a coach, what are common denominator qualities you seek?
Johnson: I'm really lucky because I inherited a JV coach who is also a teacher. He has been great. We just hired a freshman coach who has a background in community service and is also well versed in teaching. She has been coaching 13s at the club level and had great success teaching 7th graders not only fundamental skills but also how to compete and how to work together, no easy feat. So I guess what I look for is an ability to relate to the kids and teaching ability. Kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care, so having someone who truly cares about their players is of paramount importance.
D’Adamo: From the student-athlete perspective, what life lessons do you hope they learn from sports?
Johnson: Time management, responsibility, accountability, empathy, being a good teammate. Learning and learning how to learn. Awareness of the role not just on the team but in the program, in the classroom, at home. Learn how to compete in a supportive environment. This seems to be the hardest, how can we compete for each other's position yet still support each other? I have found that the best way to do that is to make it all about the team and team success. Easier said than done.
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Johnson: My kids. Becoming a dad at 25 was truly life changing. It made me a better coach. I coach my athletes the way I want my daughter to be coached. My daughter also inspires me with the way she pursues her goals and her work ethic. My daughter has calmed me down. My son has also been a tremendous influence on me. He was born with a congenital heart condition, tetralogy of fallot, a genetic disorder, 22Q a partial deletion of his 22nd chromosome, kidney issues, and other challenges. Yet he is the sweetest, friendliest kid you'll ever meet. He is the strongest, most resilient person I have ever met. In the last six months he has had three surgeries. My son reminds me daily that miracles happen all the time. Seeing how he has dealt with all the different issues he faces makes me remember that it's not what happens to us that defines us, it's how we respond to the challenges we face that defines the kind of person we are.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?
Johnson: Wow what an interesting question. I have been lucky enough to meet some of my heels/idols and it has had a little bit of a Wizard of Oz feel to it. Socrates, Jesus, John Wooden, and Jerry Garcia come to mind but while that would make an interesting dinner party it doesn't quite answer your question. If I had to pick just one person I think it would be Johannes Kepler, the scientist who discovered that the planets rotate around the sun and not the earth. I would love to know how he was able to stay true to his theory in the face of everyone else telling him he was wrong. To me someone who has that much conviction in his beliefs even though they defied general convention is someone I want to learn from. I want to know what sparked his curiosity and made him pursue a hypothesis that went against the common belief at the time, where he found the courage and the strength to tell the world they were wrong, and I want to know what it was that drove him.
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