2023-2024 Girls Sport Coach of the Year: KURT RICHARDSON SHALLOWATER HS

Where did you attend high school and what sports did you play?

I graduated from Canyon High School and I played basketball (for Dan Hamrick) and baseball (for Gary Hix).

Where did you attend college and what was your degree in?

I received my Bachelor's degree in Sports and Exercise Sciences from West Texas A&M University.

Tell me when and why you decided to get into coaching?

I was raised by two parents in education; my mom taught elementary school and my dad was a coach. So teaching and coaching was always in the back of my mind. I worked at a bank in college and thought that might be a path I wanted to consider, but after doing that for my first two years of college, I realized how much I missed the game of basketball and wanted to be around the game.

Who has had the biggest impact/ influence on the way you coach?

It's hard to narrow that down. Being around my dad, I saw how much he enjoyed what he did and how much he loved being around kids. I have taken parts of how I was coached throughout school and applied them to my philosophy. I was fortunate enough to work for Bob Schneider and Joe Lombard -- two of the best coaches in the history of Texas -- and still try to model our teams after their teams.

Tell me about your coaching journey so far.

At West Texas A&M Univ., I was a student assistant coach for girls' basketball. I have had coaching stints at Godley HS (cross country, basketball, softball) -- Canyon HS (volleyball, basketball) -Panhandle HS (cross country, basketball, golf, track) -- Abilene Wylie HS (basketball, track) -Spearman HS (cross country, basketball, tennis) -- and now at Shallowater HS (cross country, basketball).

What do you hope your studentathletes take away from your program and their time with you?

Our program is based on 3 things: Play Hard, Play Smart, Play Together. We want our kids to understand that those qualities can be applied to everything not just sports. If they work hard, make good decisions, and know how to work well with others, they are going to be successful in their careers, as mothers, and as people. Most of all we want them to know how much we love them.

What character quality do you feel is most important to impress upon today’s youth?

We have to teach kids how to deal with adversity. When things don't go their way or are hard, too many have been allowed to just quit or wait for someone to do it for them. Kids have to be reminded that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. Life is hard but that is okay. God doesn't put us through anything that we cannot handle.

Who has been your biggest supporter in your career?

That could be an endless list because I have had AMAZING support from my family and friends. But my wife (Jennifer) and our kids (Kinleigh, Bryson, Braxton) are at the top. We have been in a lot of different locations and schools, so they have had to adjust to new places and people too many times. Through it all, they have been there to support me through all the "peaks and valleys" of this profession. They have loved getting to be around all of our players through the years and I love it that they got to be on the floor and celebrate with us after the State Championship last year.

What advice would you offer a young coach, just starting their coaching career?

1) Faith and Family first; those are the things that will allow you to continue to enjoy life and persevere through the tough times that will happen. 2) Love the kids; that will allow you to enjoy your job.

What does it mean to you to have been recognized as 23-24 Coach of the Year by your THSCA peers?

Incredibly honored because we have so many outstanding coaches in our state that deserve to be recognized. I appreciate the recognition but this is really a recognition for our whole team: players and coaches. I was blessed with a tremendous group of individuals who all sacrificed for TEAM success and being recognized for that is appreciated.

Read the entire November 2024 Issue of Texas Coach here: https://issuu.com/thscacoaches/docs/nov24upload?fr=sYmEwNDY1NjgzODI