Twenty-one coaching years at Jacksonville was an incredible 'run.' I was blessed with a perfect alignment of stars: a wonderful supportive administration, loyal assistants, dedicated/talented/trusting players and a community that loved its basketball. I had peripheral opportunities such as serving the athletic director, serving the IHSA as Television analyst for the State Basketball Tournament, serving as the IHSA as National Liason for the ASEP Coach Certification Program and hosting WLDS Radio programs all of which, promoted the Jacksonville community, Jacksonville high school and myself. Did I say, I was blessed?!
In 1998, I believed it was time to retire from the coaching sidelines. My wife, Gerry and I were looking to re-locate in a city environment, which felt like home, 1950's, East St. Louis. You ask why not East St. Louis? Simple. I can't go home. It's no longer safe for anybody. The National Council for Home Safety ranks East St. Louis as America's most dangerous city. The last time I drove through my old neighborhood and down my memory lanes, I was greeted with looks of hate and contempt. Sure it pissed me off. Nobody there knows my story. But nobody there cares because to them I represent 'White Flight' and just as so many 'Whites' racially profile Blacks, I was also being racially profiled. I was being looked at as something I am not. And so it is that some things 'cut both ways.'
The Blacks that occupy East St. Louis today and my generation that inhabited the city years past are both victims of East St. Louis being the bastard child of St. Louis as deemed so by East Coast money men who built St. Louis but designed the East Side city for its dirty factories, stockyards, railroads, race tracks, gambling parlors and whore houses. Our town was the sin city for St. Louis.
In 1998, I was doing many speaking presentations in State and nation wide. My wife and I liked the interstate connection choices in either Springfield or Decatur, which still kept us at reasonable travel distances from our three married children and grandkids. I was contacted by a Decatur school administrator and asked to visit about a basketball vacancy at Stephen Decatur High. Obviously, it triggered an interest so I interviewed. Driving into Decatur, I noticed a sign at the city limits, which read "Racism>Not Here." I pointed it out to my wife and said, "Decatur has racial issues." She replied, "Well, don't most cities?" The Decatur position had opened under unfortunate circumstances, which created more racial tensions, at least within the school district. Sure the hell intrigued me...find a place to call home. We did just that and 22-years later, we still call Decatur home.
I knew immediately that there would be interesting coaching challenges that first Stephen Decatur basketball season when I placed in the school announcements that our first week of practice would be
held at 5:30 AM all week. My assistant coach told me that SOME faculty members were making fun of me saying "those"'kids won't show up at 5:30 in the morning. I immediately called two mothers of Black players and shared the perspective. The mothers' response, "What time you want the boys there, Coach? "5:30AM." 13-players (1-White & 12-Black) were on the floor five straight days at 5:30AM. I sure do like facing challenges, bridging gaps and callin' out crap.
Next: equality of scrutinization.
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