Vince D’Adamo: Be it as an administrator or coach, what have you enjoyed most about being involved in athletics?
Brian King: My coaching career has mostly been at lower levels - I started off with JV Basketball at three different schools (Atwater, Patterson and then Napa), and I have coached my son in CYO the last three years. The reward at those levels is definitely to see an athlete get better and contribute to a team in ways that maybe they didn't see possible at the beginning of a season. To have a team goal and work together to achieve that and when I was coaching JVs, to prepare kids for the varsity team the next year - the big show.
As athletic director my role is different as I am here to support the coaches and the athletes. By far my best moments have been watching a coach that I have had some sort of role in supporting, hiring, etc. working their craft with the kids and seeing them out on the court/field/pool developing young men and women. Finding good coaches is such a big part of what I do, so when we manage to nab one and get them on board, I am ecstatic to see them go about their business and work with the athletes. Kelly Van Winden, whom you blogged about, is a perfect example. When you walk into her practice or you sit in on a team meeting, you are blown away by the confidence and the skill set that she brings to our program. That is very rewarding to me and keeps me coming back year after year.
D’Adamo: It is often said that athletics and academics coexist, how much have you found that to be true?
King: There is zero doubt that athletics and academics co-exist to create excellence. Our best teams have had the highest GPAs. Case in point, our football section championship in 2007 - 49 out of the 53 player on that team had a 3.0 GPA or higher. Good students make for smart athletes, and smart athletes are more inclined to dedicate themselves to a cause and do the work necessary to succeed. That doesn't mean that every 4.0 athlete is going to be heading on to the next level in college to be a star, but our better students tend to be our leaders on campus, and that a leadership generally translates to the team aspect to form a tight knit group with a common goal.
D’Adamo: Beyond victories and defeats, when bringing in a coach, what are common denominator qualities you seek?
King: My mantra has always been that we need coaches in our programs that will lead young men and women. Barb Franco used to always say, “Of course we want to win games - that's why we have a scoreboard,” but she was quick to point out that we need other intangibles first, such as the leadership piece.
Another common denominator I look for is the ability to communicate. A coach can go 27-0 but be a horrible communicator and the players/parents will tolerate him/her. A different coach could go 0-27 yet effectively communicate their vision and philosophy with the community and people with embrace them. As a society we thirst for someone to outline their plan and effectively communicate that with us, but to often that never happens. When someone comes along that can lay it out for their team and lead them towards the vision described, people are all too eager to jump on board and follow.
D’Adamo: From the student-athlete perspective, what life lessons do you hope they learn from sports?
King: I was reading Andrew Pieper's blog that he wrote for you and I thought he nailed it on the head. Andrew is a perfect example of a student-athlete that wasn't the biggest or the fastest, but he was a hard worker. He was also an excellent student and as a result he enjoyed tremendous success on the field and will always be remembered for his accomplishments at Napa High. Andrew remembers the moments he had with his teammates and the lessons he learned from his coaches; no doubt he will carry those with him the rest of his life.
I also have been strongly influenced by a former Napa High parent who once told me this; “Twenty years from now none of these kids will remember the score on a Tuesday night in the spring of a game they played against Armijo. But they will remember the fun times they had and the friends/coaches they spent that spring with.” Point being here, when kids become adults, and those adults look back at their time as a Napa High athlete, I hope they can remember two things: that they had a great time being on that team and that they got better athletically as they went along the way. That to me sounds like a successful season!
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
King: I certainly am blessed to have a family backing me, allowing me to do the job I do. I spend a lot of evenings at Napa High, and those evenings mean that someone has to be carrying the slack at home and keeping the machine turning. My wife, Camille, and I have formed a partnership for 21 years now and she has been an amazing support for me. We are both in education so we understand the system - she is my sounding board on a lot of issues I come into. We are very different in so many ways which allows us to balance each other and offer a different perspective. Through my time as A.D. she has developed a passion for Napa High Athletics as well, which translates well to the present when my oldest child begins this fall and will compete for the Indians.
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?
King: I hope I don't disappoint by not selecting a sports figure....but if I could have dinner with just one person (not currently in my circle of peeps) I would choose CS Lewis. At different times in my life he has had a profound influence on me through his writings on man's search for meaning and exploring spiritual issues. Sometimes he makes my brain spin inside my head with his ideas and theories, but boy could that guy go deep!
Coincidentally I was just in the U.K. this summer and one of the places we visited was the pub that Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein used to frequent, The Eagle and Child. I am sure I would have been out of my league in most of their conversations, but I do enjoy exploring the deeper side of life and looking at the big picture.
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