Crockett Names New Basketball Director
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – Crockett Independent School District (CISD) announced Nov. 10 it had named Carlos Daniels as Director of Basketball Operations for the district, overseeing both girls and boys basketball. Daniels was recruited to CISD to coach the girls and is in his first year coaching in Crockett.
Originally from Fairfield, Daniels has been coaching for 24 years, spending the last 10 in Mexia with a steady record of success in girls’ basketball. Several people in Crockett had been trying to convince Daniels to coach at CISD, and he finally felt the time was right.
“It was just a great opportunity. A few people here in the community have been really been trying to get me to come this way for the last five or six years and I never thought I would,” Daniels said. “But I’m glad I made the decision to come. There are some great people here in Crockett and some awesome kids, so I am excited.”
While he admitted the transition has been hectic, both professionally and personally, getting used to a new town and a new job – Daniels said his experience with the Crockett basketball program go back many years.
“When I graduated high school from Fairfield, we always had battles with Crockett all the way up from seventh grade to my senior year,” Daniels remembered. “We never could beat Crockett – we only beat them one time my junior year. ‘We finally beat Crockett!’ And so when they interviewed me here, they asked me, ‘Are you attracted to coming here?’ And I said, ‘Well, I never could beat them in high school. So I’ve always said if you can’t beat them, join them!’”
On the boys’ side, Daniels will be assisted by Coaches Brent Stephens and Brandon Johnson and Kayla Jackson and Kristian Spencer on the girls’ side. It was former CISD Coach Tanesiah “Cookie” Johnson who was one of the voices telling Daniels to consider coming to Crockett after her move last year to Kennard ISD.
As Daniels spoke to The Messenger, his small office in Crockett High School was full of people as he worked on scheduling for the upcoming Lady Bulldogs’ Thanksgiving Classic Basketball Tournament. A couple of the teams had not confirmed their participation, throwing Daniels’ game times and brackets into disarray. He calmly worked through the problem – helped, no doubt by those 24 years of experience – as CISD Athletic Director Jody Jordan came by to make sure it all went smooth.
Daniels confirmed Coach Jordan becoming Athletic Director was one of the reasons he decided to go ahead and take the leap of faith and come to Crockett.
Daniels has seen a lot over all those years, molding young athletes into young adults. He has already started molding the Lady Bulldogs, too, with a different style which might surprise some of the fans.
“The girls are an awesome group. Coach Johnson led them to second in district and they also went two rounds deep in the playoffs, so the foundation has already been laid. Of course, Coach “Cookie” and I have totally different coaching styles and philosophies. I just came and sped them up a little bit,” Daniels explained. “I am a big fan of ‘man-to-man’ – pressing four quarters, up and down the floor. For girls, in the beginning, that looks really ugly. I tell the fans, ‘Hey, I’m warning you now. Don’t sit close too the floor because the ball may be coming your way!’”
The new strategy seems to be paying off, too, after a recent big win against Houston County rival Lovelady Lady Lions. Daniels may not have understood the impact of that victory, but he knows now.
“We sped it up and the girls have adjusted to it pretty well. We beat Lovelady for the first time in a while. I didn’t know that game was so big! I wasn’t familiar with this big rivalry and when we won the game, you would have thought we just won the state championship!” Daniels laughed. “The place went crazy. I didn’t know it was that big.”
With four district wins and no losses, as of press time, Daniels is thankful for the help he has received from the administration and his fellow coaches as he settles in to his new role, and his new home. His philosophy is important to how he handles the student athletes he coaches.
“I’ve coached a lot of athletes, who – if it wasn’t for basketball – they wouldn’t have an opportunity to go to college. A lot of them come from one-parent families. It’s a pleasure to me to be able to shape and mold our young people,” Daniels said. “Not just basketball – I tell them all the time an injury could ruin their career – but to motivate them to go to college or trade school. I was happy to find here a bunch of respectful young kids. In any program, in any state, there are going to be kids with problems. But overall, these are great kids.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
