EP#28-From Pro Athlete To Head Coach-Nick King On His Vision For Shadow Hills Football

A familiar Coachella Valley name is stepping into a brand-new role. We’re joined by Nick King, the newest head coach at Shadow Hills, to unpack the real story behind the headset: how a three-sport standout and former pro baseball player turns experience into a clear, grounded plan for building a high school football program that lasts.

We talk about why he chose coaching through teaching, how relationships drive culture, and what he learned moving from Riverside City College to the University of Georgia and into professional baseball. Then we get into the football details that coaches and fans love: why the trenches decide games, how offensive alignment and formation variety can stress a defense, and why a head coach has to build a system around the kids who actually show up, not a perfect playbook.

We also hit the big-picture topics shaping modern high school football in Desert Valley and beyond: scheduling in the era of the playoff algorithm, whether tough nonleague games help or hurt, and how “just win” simplifies the noise around seeding. Nick closes with advice for the next generation on sacrifice, emotional regulation, and the off-field habits that make on-field success possible.

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Welcome back, everybody, to Desert Valley Blitz Coaches Corner edition. Today we got a real special guest. We're real excited because we got the newest member of our coaching community in the house. Most of our community would know this guy by his playing days. He was one of the premier athletes in the in the mid-2000s here, but now he's moving into a different role as the new head coach of Shadow Hills. Mr. Nick King, man. Thanks for coming on the show.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Yeah, yeah. No, I appreciate you guys having me on. Really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_04 0:56

I mean, if you've been paying attention to high school football here in like the you know last 20 years, they know who you are. We we watched you play when you're younger, but what made you want to get

Why Teaching Led To Coaching

SPEAKER_04 1:05

involved in coaching? Like, how'd how do we get here?

SPEAKER_02 1:07

Yeah, honestly, just um once I kind of started and got done playing with myself, um, ended up getting my teaching credential and just uh started teaching and and fell in love with it and realized that you know I can make a positive impact and change some of these kids' lives. So uh especially coaching, uh, that's a great way to do it. Yeah, you know, through sports.

SPEAKER_04 1:29

Might be the best.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So um, yeah, I would just say just got started with uh just wanting to make a positive change, wanting to change. I think that might be the best answer, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Yeah, I mean that's why you know I mean it's it's relationships. That's the real reason to do anything, is the love and the education you can give kids. We know you as a three sports star, though. So I want to hear, you know, you you were uh you know, you were a killer on the football field. I had the displeasure of having a game plan against you for a couple years. I was at Indio and you got you were running all over us, man. Yeah, but um you you were like recruited in three sports, yeah. You ultimately chose baseball, correct? We want to I want to hear the story why that, you know, we want to hear your little background. Why'd you choose baseball and how that how that kind of career took you?

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Yeah, um, so it was just kind of uh at the time, you know, my baseball coach really uh really I felt like really fought for me at that time, you know. Um so it was just one of those things where uh he told me that there was gonna be coaches coming and coaches, you know, and at the time I had been waiting for so long from at this time I was at baseball season. So I had been waiting for football and basketball for the you know some scholarships to come, and um, you know, it ended up just kind of not kind of falling through. So um ended up choosing baseball, went to uh Riverside Community College, um, which is a pretty big uh league, you know, at the junior college level. One of the best, right? Yeah, yeah. Um so chose that and and after that ended up going to the University of Georgia and you know, playing with the Pirates for a little bit and had a spring training with the Braves. So um, yeah, you know, a lot of experience.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

You had a minor league career for a couple years then, huh?

SPEAKER_02 3:08

Yeah, yeah. So I had two years

Choosing Baseball Over Other Offers

SPEAKER_02 3:10

with the Pirates and then uh I had a uh spring training with the Braves, played a bunch of independent baseball, a bunch of places um ultimately before you know coming back and getting into teaching. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

So you're relatively new to the you were still an athlete there for the former. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

There's probably seven years, you know. Um, I came back probably seven years ago from playing myself, um, and then just kind of been coaching ever since, you know, at Palm Springs.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

So, I mean you were a professional baseball player. Yeah, yeah. Why why come back to football, man? Football's not uh there's a lot more guys to coach in football, it's a lot more violent sport. Why why'd you kind of choose to come back to football to coach? You could have probably done all three, right? You probably could have did basketball, you could have probably done, you know, baseball. Obviously, you were professional. Why football? I mean, what was the what was it about?

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yeah, so I think ultimately um with baseball, I just how everything played out for me personally, I feel like I just have a kind of a bad taste um just in general with the sport.

SPEAKER_03 4:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

And you know, zooming out, I feel I know understand that that's not the right viewpoint to look at it, you know, from. But um I think uh you know, thinking about it from a coaching standpoint, um X's and O's, and when when you're having your team and going against other um coaches, I think you can see see it a little bit more in football from a coaching aspect of who's, you know, or just the fact that you can I think you can make a bigger difference. Yeah, yeah. In if you're high school baseball and you have two arms, yeah, I it could be someone's dad, it could be someone's, you know, and that team's gonna be pretty good. Right. Um, so I think with football, it's a little bit more strategy, a little bit more X's and O's. And I think um from a coaching standpoint, you can get your um I think your your mastery level, your genius out more. It's viewed more. Yeah, you can see it more.

SPEAKER_04 5:07

Yeah, it's true though. On football, you do you do get to put your finger on the scale of how who wins and who lost.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Yeah, I think you know, some coaching matchups or or things, I think it comes out a little bit more in football. So it's more fun, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you know, that's more competitive for you, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:20

I mean, you're like, hey, I don't need that. Yeah, I still I want to compete, and I'm just gonna compete with this headset on.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Yeah, and anytime I I um was at any of the places that I went to, whether it was Georgia or um anywhere, I always looked at the better teams, like who's the best team in that. And then I would always like, okay, how do they act? How are their coaches? How do they carry themselves? Like, what are they doing? You know, I love that. Yeah. So while I'm playing, I'm s I would, you know, I felt like I was on the same wavelength or same coaching aspect as some of those coaches at that high of level.

SPEAKER_04 5:55

Yeah, you know, they're already the best at whatever they're doing. Let's try to emulate them a little bit and learn from them.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Yeah, I remember being at Georgia and and Vanderbilt was the probably the best school. And I just remember

Pro Baseball To Football Sidelines

SPEAKER_02 6:05

playing and um, you know, kind of being on the same thoughts as as Tim Corbin. You know, he's he's the coach at Vanderbilt, but um, I was like, yeah, I think like that too. Yeah, like I would do that too in this situation, right? You know, I think that's kind of really where I chose, you know, coaching ultimately. Yeah. Yeah, you know. You were already a coach as a player then, huh? You were starting to make that you're starting to make that transition as a player, huh? Yeah, I think I was uh when I was young, even too, I was just a little bit more always mature for my age. I wasn't always into like the the playing around or the you know some of the things that um I would say kids, you know, do or go through.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Um, you know, but um I was just always, you know, respectful and and kind.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Right. And that that's gonna help you in this in this uh line of work, man. Yeah, yeah. You know, then pushing that on to your players is is something you know, I think you're probably shooting to do, right? Yeah, yeah. Bring that to your bring that to your new family over here at Shadow Hill. So let's yeah, talk about your coaching career a little bit. So you you know, you graduate left baseball, decided, okay, I'm gonna get my teacher credential, take the education path, which is very commendable, and yeah, teaching the youth. You're a teacher. Now, how do you get back into you know, how does that how's that work? How'd you get back into the f you know, because you've been an assistant coach for a couple years now on the side. How'd that kind of work out? What was the path for that?

SPEAKER_02 7:25

Yeah, so uh ultimately came back and got my teaching credential, and I was in PE and ended up getting a job at Raymond Cree, um, uh which is a middle school out on in North Palm Springs, and then um I did uh taught there. This is my fourth year that we're going on. And uh yeah, just when we went to uh my coach football and basketball at the high school, and then I was really good friends with Coach Murph. And so was my dad. Was he your coach in high school? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? Okay. Um Fabian was the head coach, but he was the offensive line coach. Yeah. Um, so we already had a kind of a good relationship, and I had been going since I was in probably sixth grade. After school, I would take the bus, and I'm I was at any practice that the high school had.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Really? Even the middle school, huh?

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Six and six, sixth grade. Wow. You know, I would take that sun bus, and and you know, my mom would pick me up after she got off, but I'd be in, you know, like the locker rooms, I'd be trying to practice with the team. I was in there. We were already on the team in junior, you know. I I was um I was involved. So uh ultimately came back and and talked to Coach Murph, and then he put me on staff, you know, immediately, and then just did uh varsity special teams, did did running backs, did uh miscellaneous stuff on varsity with Coach Murph, and then Coach Daryl had taken over, and then me and Coach Daryl had talked and um ended up being the JV head coach. Okay, you know, and I think he was kind of preparing me for something like this. Yeah, you know, so he when we had the conversation, it was all respect. It wasn't, you know, oh, you're going down or anything like that. It was like actually, no, we actually need you down there, you know, all the incoming. Yeah, it's an important too. And yeah, the levels and and the progression from freshman sophomore to juniors and seniors was was a big deal, yeah, you know, and I thought it helped.

SPEAKER_04 9:19

I like the JV level sometimes because it gives you a little bit of freedom to do your own thing, a little bit. I mean, obviously you got to emulate a little bit of the varsity, but for the most part, you kind of kind of get to try things your way a little bit down there.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

Yeah, I really enjoy it. Yeah, it was it was fun. And there was things that um I appreciated about just kind of being by myself, you know, and kind of getting me ready for this. It's like I could kind of run it how I wanted, yep. You know, stuff like that. So um yeah, I was just real appreciative of kind of everything.

SPEAKER_04 9:47

For for me, I'm you know, I'm a geek when it comes to football. What side of the ball do you like? Do you like offense or defense? We all kind of gravitate towards one or the other.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Yeah, so I'm definitely, I would say, offensive-minded. There you go. Um, just from uh um X's and O's alignment standpoint, um, you know, but I do understand the importance of defense, yeah. Oh, yeah, what a defensive coordinator can do, but ultimately, uh, to be real, it's the trenches, you know. Yeah, it's the O line and honestly. And boys, the most important coach to hire. Yeah, you know, for some reason,

Palm Springs Roots And Coaching Path

SPEAKER_02 10:20

these position players and people think it's it's them, but nope, man, it you gotta focus on on the trenches. Yep. You know, that's where it's one.

SPEAKER_04 10:28

It's those big guys, it gives those big guys a chance to shine too at a sport, you know.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

Yeah, and they need to hear it, you know, they need to they need to feel it, they need to know that they're appreciated. The most important people on the team, it literally, yeah. So, you know, yeah, it's dope.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Palm Springs, man. I hear uh you're you're a Palm Springs lifer, huh? Yeah, I mean, so you know, in your new position now as head coach of Shadow Hills, yeah. What's that first uh game gonna be like when you're when you see Palm Springs on the schedule and you're gonna be wearing a different color, man? That's gonna be kind of a trip, right?

SPEAKER_02 10:57

I thought about it and I've come to the realization two things. One, it's it's one game a year. Yeah. So I can't, you know, put so much emotion into it that I'm forgetting about the nine other games. Yeah, yeah. It's one game. And then um, I think too, just taking emotion out, you know, like at the end of the day, like when I'm watching film, I'm not I'm not focusing on, you know, Tyler or Tank, like their names. Yeah, I'm focusing on 21 and one. And so um just taking a different viewpoint, you know, and not putting so much emotion into it. Yeah, I think um, I think that's you know, will help a lot.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Yeah, it's it's it's weird. I'll tell you just from being an idiot guy. It's weird to be on the other sideline sometimes. Yeah, you got you had to go through it as well. It's all it's part of like the the stepping stone as a coach, is you when you move a little bit and see the team you bled and sweat for, and you're actually rooting against them that night is kind of an odd situation. But I think you know, for you as a professional, you're gonna get over pretty quick because you got a job, you got a job to do as well. Yeah, so that's good. It's gonna be kind of cool though, because I know you're you're your family. You I mean even your parents are from Palm Springs, correct? I saw something that your parents were three sport letter fans at Palm Springs too, right? So we're so they're gonna have to sit on the opposite sideline one night a year as well, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:12

So it's a family thing, huh? Yeah, no, it's it's um like I said, it was so tough, it was so sad. Um, especially like my middle school kids and just everybody, like, however, it is personal growth. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's not like a lateral movement or it's not like I'm going to somewhere lesser or anything like that. Like it's a it's a step up, it's growth. You know, I think sometimes um change is good. Yeah, you know, like I think being uncomfortable or um growing, you know, is what's needed. 100%. You know, and I think it's what's needed

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SPEAKER_02 12:46

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Scheduling Philosophy And Early Tests

SPEAKER_01 13:05

in the scheduling already? Are you so you already kind of making those decisions? What's your what's going to be, have you thought about your philosophy? We've heard different things about how coaches are scheduling because the new algorithm that everybody's talking about at the playoff level. So there's different theories on how to schedule. What is your kind of approach to that?

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Um, you know, I think first initially I would like to be four and one or five and oh going into league. Yeah. Any losses I would like to take in league.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

You know, um, just from a first thought process. Yeah. Um, however, though, sometimes scheduling and kind of how late it was or any some things that you can't you just can't control. Yeah. You know, so um, you know, we got tough, tough week zero game, we got tough, you know, games. Do you know who you open with? Uh yeah. So I'll probably open up with Esperanza. Oh, that's uh you're going to highlight. You're going over the hill, man. You're going to Orange County for the first one. They're coming to us. Okay. All right. That helps a little bit. I mean, that's the heat.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

They got some big boys at Esperanza, man. I know.

SPEAKER_02 14:03

Yeah. So it was similar looking. You know, they had looking at their last year's season, um, they had lost to Seeger Strom. And so um, being at Palm Springs, we had played Seeger Strom. Okay, so you kind of so we it's somewhat similar kids, um, you know, and so that kind of made me breathe a little bit. Like, okay, you know, but at the same time, uh, you know, I I feel like I'm ready for the fire, you know, I'm built for that. So um, yeah, it's you know, them and Ukaypa, you know, first two out of five, you know, two out of five, let's go, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Hey, you're gonna find out quick. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

So um I think we're but talking to the kids and just talking to everybody at Shadow, it's one of those things where I think they're they like that. Right. Yeah, you know, they like the challenge. Yeah, they're they they better, yeah. You know, and I think um ultimately um building this, you know, preseason, I would like five, you know, uh monsters of the city. Tough, huh? You know, yeah, that's the future.

SPEAKER_04 15:02

Yeah, yeah. He wants to play the best and then make league easy.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Yeah, it's getting kids exposure. Um, it's it's letting them see what's you know good, expected, you know, good, good high school football. You know, and so if they want to kind of be like that, then we got to experience it a little bit, right? You know, and you'll know.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

I mean, you'll know what you got going in the league, right? There'll be no there'll be no question marks. Yeah, yeah. You know what you are at this point. So that's that's pretty that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

And I think our league is growing, man. I think our league is just getting stronger and stronger. We're catching up. It is the kids coming in and and everybody kind of you know committed to these schools, and it's I think it's growing. Yeah, you know, definitely down here in the valley.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Yeah, there's no easy games in the TBL, man. There's no cupcakes, though, no, no easy games. You're gonna have to bring it otherwise.

SPEAKER_04 15:52

They're in middle school working on their skills. I read when we played, it wasn't like that, you know.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

We played different sports and stuff, but yeah, they're they're specializing at a very starting to show on the field. Oh, yeah. I think we're kind of got a nice little group of talent coming through as a generation, right? Yeah, so gotta take advantage, right? We gotta take advantage. So yeah.

Offensive Identity And Run Game Variety

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Um, Shadow Hills. So I know you you haven't been on the scene that long, but I'm sure you've already kind of thought about all this. Like, we'll kind of get into some philosophical stuff. Shadow Hills from last year, from Palmer, known for their defense. You know, Palmer was a defensive guy. Yeah, he was very he was very good at on the defensive side, and then they spread it out with those athletes and they throw the ball all over the place. Yeah. What are you what philosophical things are you thinking that you would like to see, or is are you just gonna keep everything the same? What are you kind of thinking? I know it's early, but I'm sure you've already thought about all this stuff.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

Yeah, so I think the first thing will be um like our alignment, you know, offensively, like X's and O's. Like I want to run the ball. If we're running the ball 30 times, it's gonna be from a different formation. Okay. Each time. So it's not gonna look the same. No, not at all.

SPEAKER_04 16:56

You know, a lot of pressure on that DC too.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Yeah, and you know, if they're um, I like kind of offset lines a little bit, you know. I kind of like tight ends, um, kind of like you know, a wing bag that's going back and forth. Um, you know, and I like kind of overlighting overloading one side and having a tight end on the other, and if the defense moves over, then you know, we so I feel like putting teams in in um spots where they have to make a decision.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

And if they don't make that decision and they don't correct it, well, we're overloaded on one side. Like we gotta, you know. Um, and then just different discipline stuff, different principles, you know, like um we gotta be able to go on two, we gotta be able to go first sound, you know. I don't always want to be in shotgun, I don't always want to be um, you know, in the same thing every time. Um, but I gotta see, you know, these kids as they're out there. Yeah, and I think the best thing a coach can do is um it's different from college and high school. There's some high school coaches that kind of take that college philosophy where um it's like their playbook, they're running the same thing, even if those kids don't fit that playbook. Right. So um looking at it from a standpoint of I gotta see them first, how can we put them in in the best spots where they can shine and they can go? You know, so I think just um I think the philosophy is obviously just um you know, ball control, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Oh, so you're gonna run the ball a little bit more this year, huh?

SPEAKER_02 18:25

Yeah, just time management. Yeah you know, just um understanding possessions and understanding like time management and control and and you know, not playing safe, you know, but um I think just understanding uh what the game needs at that time. Yeah, I don't think one game is gonna be the same one way or the other. Okay. You know, I think going from uh you know full house to empty is is good, you know. I think if you can kind of mix it up and see what the defense is in and and what are they good at? Right. You know, if they're good at stopping the run, we might we'll probably spread it out. If they, you know, if they if their skills players are a little bit better, you know, we'll probably pound the rock. Yeah, you know, if it so just looking at it, um, and it's it won't just be me, you know, it'll be our coaching staff. We'll have a lot of conversations, we'll have a lot of, you know, and I don't have any type of ego, you know. If the janitor sees something, hey man, like hey, you know, I I'm taking everybody's uh opinion into consideration.

SPEAKER_04 19:27

Yeah, but you're the choice maker, but you'll listen to everyone's opinion and then yeah, and as they tell me, I filter it. Yep, I know what I like and don't like and want to use it. They'll rally around your choice, whatever you choose. Because at the end of the day, man, everyone wants to feel wanted. I know, I know everyone wants to feel love. It makes them um coach better, they're more invested when they get a little say in the I I I've been there, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I felt that there's a skill to that. So I'm in I'm from from what you're saying, I'm I'm picturing a little bit of Palm Springs off. That's what I was thinking too. I was like, I think you're giving a lot of palm spree each picture.

SPEAKER_02 19:57

So it will be I uh it will be it will be the same terminology, yeah. Yeah, but um I I think there's different athletes and different things um that we can do.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

You're gonna make it your own for sure. Oh, yeah, and you got different guys than you would have at Palm Springs. I love it. Yeah, yeah. So you know control. And you're right. I mean, at the high school level, we we can't go out and recruit guys that fit our system, yeah, right? We just gotta whoever shows up on that first day of practice, that's what we got. We've got to build our system around. Colleges usually have a good batch of kids already that know how to play football, so you can kind of do anything. Oh, I'm running a 3-4. Well, do you have a 3-4 bodies to run?

SPEAKER_04 20:32

You know, you got inside the academy, clean up the spill, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

You're starting from a good place knowing that yeah, we're not able to really choose pick and choose who's bringing coming to our schools. We just gotta work with what we got. So to not pigeonhole yourself early and say, Oh, I got this system that works over here. Oh yeah, man. It's like whatever I get, that's what whatever I get, we can do it.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

You have to have a good imagination, you know, to be successful, especially offensively.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

Offensively, yeah. You know, you guys are you guys are creative over there, man. I like the defensive side. I'm like just a you know, ground and pound. Yeah, yeah. You know, just keep it simple, stupid, you know?

SPEAKER_02 21:05

Yeah, but that was the same thing, you know. Even when I played, like that was Fabe's like mastery when he was coaching, was the art of alignment.

SPEAKER_04 21:14

You know, I remember they ran a ton of sets, different sets, yeah. But they were running the same place.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

I know the same plays when you watch it, but as a DC, you gotta prepare how to line up. Yeah, you have to spend 15 minutes on just alignment, like to this the formation alignments. I remember Carl Springs was the worst because you had to you had like freaking eight, nine, ten formations you had to prepare for. It was a long time making it. Yeah, and it took me like half the practice.

SPEAKER_04 21:39

Linebackers on the right side are lined right because they got a wing on that side all of a sudden.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

They all in the same places, so it's uh the philosophy is really is really good though, because it does give the other guys on the side of the ball kind of a fit. So you know, and that's kind of it's it's that's part of the chess match, right? Yeah, yeah. That's part of the fun of it, you know.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Yeah, so I really paid attention, you know, even when I was playing, you know, I So I I think that helps a lot too. You're taking notes back. Yeah. Yeah. You know, so just trying to see, okay, what did I like, what I did not like, what could we have done better, what what really, really worked, what were what we were successful at. Yeah. You know, so I think just taking all those things into consideration and adding them, you know.

SPEAKER_04 22:18

You guys were 13-0 that year and then you lost in the final. But who did you lose to?

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Rancho Verde. Good program. Was that that time? Yeah. He's pretty good. But I will say though, I think I do think that year, I do think that's where scheduling a tougher preseason would have helped us. I think that was the first game where we saw any of those types of athletes. Yeah. You saw guys that were good as good as you, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:46

They were good. They were really good back there. People forget about how good they were.

SPEAKER_02 22:49

Four, you know, four solid receivers, fast guys that can a quarterback that was, you know, 6'4 that could stay in there and just and they had great system too.

SPEAKER_04 22:58

They had plays that worked really nice. I they beat La Quinta about that time period too. I don't know if it was the same year, but it was around that time period. And I was, I remember going, geez. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:06

It's a different level right here. Yeah, yeah. They were good. You know, in that year, um, and I think too, like the kids that were around there, I think that would I would say that was the only time we were a little frustrated where it was like, okay, at that time I think La Quinta had played Mission Viejo. Yep. My senior year, and there were some other schools, but like it was like, okay, well, if we're beating some of these teams, like let us go play them. Yeah. You know, like let us like I guess try it out. You know, but I think that year it was like, you know, 29 Palms and some other schools, and and which, you know, I'm not knocking or you know, anything. It was just one of those things where that was the first game where like we were exposed to that stuff. Yeah, you know.

unknown 23:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

So it would have been better to get one on under your belt earlier, right? Yeah, just to see, you know, just to kind of test us where we were at.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

Yeah, you know, but yeah. I think that's already moving into your coaching brain, man. How you're gonna be philosophized for your philosophy on scheduling, man.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Yeah, and I think that's that's one of those things is I anything I'm saying or anything I'm preaching to the kids or parents or anything, it's coming just from experience. It's not there's no ego involved, there's no emotion involved. Like, I'm not trying to like go one way or the other. Like, I'm just telling you what it is. I'm just telling you what I know, yeah. Like, you know, so I like that.

Mentors And Learning From Everyone

SPEAKER_01 24:29

Yeah, yeah. You kind of spoke to it already, but um, you know, we've all had help along our journey. You know, we've all had guys that kind of took us under the wing when they didn't have to. We're some of your mentors and who's some guys you kind of look up to in the coaching game. Tired of payroll headaches? iPay Solutions is your local payroll and HR partner right here in the Coachella Valley. From direct deposits to compliance, we handle the details so you can focus on growing your business. iPay Solutions, local, reliable, and built for your success.

SPEAKER_04 24:58

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SPEAKER_02 25:17

Um, so I definitely, you know, think Fabe, you know, Fabe legend. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_04 25:22

You know, I think he was uh one time, huh? Yeah, he's legendary.

SPEAKER_02 25:25

Yeah, I think he was very good offensively. Yeah, you know, I think he was a very good um mind, and he took a lot of time. And that was those days when technology wasn't like crazy. So he was doing everything, taking extra hours, taking extra amount of time, you know, going and um, you know, Murph. Yeah, you know, obviously, Coach Daryl, honestly, everybody at you know, the Palm Springs staff and and they've been together a long time, yeah. And you know, my coaches at you know, Georgia and and Riverside and all these places, um, high school, you know, all three sports, all three coaches were very good. Yeah, you know, and so um I learned from from all of them. Yeah, you know, just different different things. You know, so I think uh it's just a collection, a collection of all the people that kind of helped me along the way. Um, and that's kind of I feel how I'm expressing myself, you know. It's not just me saying something like it's a collection. It's it's you know, everybody um putting their opinions and ideas, you know, and I'm taking what's good, what I like, and what I don't like, you know, and okay, uh when I have my own program, you know, I I don't really want to do that, you know. I might want to do it differently, right? You know, so I think just um, yeah, man, there's a lot of people. Yeah, there's always there's always people that help us along the way. You know, and it's not just coaches, you know, like you know, family, mom, you know, uh teachers, you know, who I work with, and just anybody, man. I'm always trying to learn. Yeah, I think that's the best approach. Yeah, yeah. You have to, you know, you can't be closed-minded, yeah, especially if you want growth.

SPEAKER_04 27:05

Yeah, I always like Armstrong asked me to coach a long time ago, and it kind of turned on that coaching brain. I just yeah, the way I explained it is like I just like find gems from different people and I pick them up off the ground, I put them in my pocket for later. Yeah, and I just keep going, you know. And at the end of like 20 years, I'm like, yeah, I got a lot of stuff in my pocket. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Yeah, so that's a good way of that's a good way. And it's awesome too because it never runs out. Yeah. You know, there's things that that you could know from 10 years ago, and somebody who you coached or somebody that was 10 years ago, this kid exactly reminds you exactly of yeah, and however you fixed or however this kid went wrong, now you kind of have a better feel of it. I've done this before.

SPEAKER_04 27:46

Yeah, I've seen this before. Yeah, it was a while ago, but this is how we did it. And yeah, I love that. Yeah. Yeah. And that pops up a lot in sports. Um uh I got a kid, you know, I'm coaching right now, and he's kind of running with his neck, you know. I'm like, God, dude, you gotta loosen up a little bit, you know. So but it's hard to coach, you know. You know, it's hard to get the, you know, he's only, you know, 11 years old. So yeah, I'm trying to, yeah, but just just to tag onto that point. And yeah, there's a lot of things you can learn and then you'll re-see. And um, yeah, I I love that about coaching too.

SPEAKER_01 28:16

Yeah.

Mayor’s Cup Rivalry And Community

SPEAKER_01 28:18

You had mentioned uh your week zero game. Yeah. We had already talked to Doc. Oh, we had Doc in here a couple weeks ago. No mayor's cup this year. And I know you're I know you're a West Side guy, man, but on the east side, that was kind of a big deal for us old Indio guys. Yeah. Um, do you see that game coming back at some point? I mean, I know it's they're taking a little hiatus because of the movements of the leagues and all that stuff, but but um, do you see that coming back as something that the community, I know us Indio guys, we want it back on schedule because we want to win one of those damn cups. Yeah, we haven't won one yet. So, so I I want to see us win one. So is that something you you as a as a staff and guys at the end of the day?

SPEAKER_02 28:54

I mean, I don't have any um I guess opinions on it or you know, any, but um, I was kind of just told, you know, like it they're not on our schedule. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:03

Well, nothing to do with you, yeah, you it was a scheduling quirk. I think that that's kind of how it explained to me. But yeah, it was a pretty big game in the community. So I'm just but yeah, at some point India's gonna be up to your guys' level, hopefully to kind of give you guys a game, make that game more the watching, you know.

SPEAKER_02 29:18

That's I would definitely love that. Yeah, you know, it's it's um again, like especially in that community, yeah. Like it's it brings all those those people together. It does brings, you know, both schools, it brings memories, alumni, it brings you know what I mean. So just connecting that Indio community, that Indio culture, it is a big deal, yeah. And so I do think, yeah, we should, you know, we should bring it back.

SPEAKER_04 29:44

Hear that?

SPEAKER_01 29:44

Let's bring it back. I mean, yeah, I know maybe next year it's not on the table, but maybe two years from now. Yeah, and hopefully India will be in a place where we can I think they will give you guys yeah, I think they're headed in the right direction and give you guys some competition. But that's from an old Indio guy, we definitely would love to see that coming

Building A Staff And Culture

SPEAKER_01 29:59

back, man. So um, one thing as a new head coach, you know, relatively new head coach, you gotta first order business is filling out your staff. Yeah, yeah. How you doing on that? How's that how's that looking for you? You you looking to add more? You already got it. What's what's the status on that?

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Yeah, so um next week uh will kind of be um interviews and then it'll be I'll meet the team and stuff. Okay. Um so we're kind of starting to get the ball rolling. I've already been talking to people, uh, phone calls, stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

I'm sure you got guys that you already have worked with that are coming with you, but you know, that's that's a big deal, man. That's the hardest part sometimes, right?

SPEAKER_02 30:39

Yeah, so mixing uh just you know, some of the old with the new and just um, you know, a lot of the kids um who they liked, you know, what and again, especially because it's new and and first time, like I'm not scared to ask for help. You know, like I'm finding a trusted person out there, and and how do you feel about this person? What do you think? Right, how okay, like let's make a collective effort. You know, I'm pretty good on intuition, you know, just meeting people for the first time, stuff like that. Um, but it's gonna be a a a blank fresh page, you know, and I think that's kind of the best thing. Yeah, you know, no one uh from Palm Springs is coming, you know. So um, like I said, finding trusted people out there and just people who who want to work, you know, and um I I'm I want some people that are a little bit older that have been there for a while.

SPEAKER_03 31:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:37

Right, and then a little bit of younger who um are out that way, but they're they're hungry. They you know they're eager and they got that energy, man.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Uh old cats, we might not have the energy every day.

SPEAKER_02 31:48

Yeah, yeah, but that is but that experience and knowing people and knowing things, you know. So I think that combo and that mix of you know, having some some older experience and and that with some of the newer and having that combo. I to me, I feel like that's the the recipe. Yeah, and that's what you're gonna kind of be looking for.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

So anybody interviewing, you heard it here, man. Yeah, yeah. You just heard what coach is looking for. Opportunities out there for some some of you guys to get some pretty high, you know, some pretty good jobs.

SPEAKER_02 32:15

Yeah, there's been some uh you know, some applications put in, but you know, we definitely need you know, there's a whole project.

SPEAKER_01 32:22

Yeah, you gotta go through the district, it's a whole thing, man. It's a whole thing. I know. But Shadow Hills is a good job. I mean, that's that like looking at the jobs that were available. That was like that was probably the premier job just because of this the facilities and the kids you already had. So, you know, and I mean, geez, they went to the semires last year.

SPEAKER_04 32:38

Yeah, no, I mean I thought they were gonna make a deep.

SPEAKER_01 32:41

We were surprised when they lost because they had a good team, man. Yeah, those guys. You got some good returners from the back, yeah. So there's a lot on there. Those cupboards are not bare, man. You've got a you've got a lot to work with, so that's exciting as a coach.

SPEAKER_04 32:53

It's a beautiful stadium, too.

SPEAKER_02 32:55

Yeah, that's probably one of the nicest in the back. Yeah, so I'm excited, man, just to get everybody involved, you know. The the the kids not only, but the parents, the the community, teachers, like you know, everybody.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:07

It does take a lot. You can't do it yourself. So it's it's you know, finding good people you can trust, just everything you're saying is is you know super important.

SPEAKER_02 33:15

Yeah, it takes a village, but you know, that village has to be tight. That village has to be good. I know, you know, it's gotta be positive.

SPEAKER_04 33:22

Yeah, no, no fire in the village. Yeah, nobody's setting fires in the village. I know behind your back.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Exactly. That's what you gotta look out for. Some you know, positive relationships. Yeah, for sure. For sure.

Playoff Algorithm And Seeding Mindset

SPEAKER_01 33:33

Taking a left turn, I know you um, you know, he just got the job, but you've been around the game for the last, you know, especially down here for the last four or five years. Yeah. One topic we always like to talk about is the algorithm and the seeding for these playoffs, man. What is your you know, what is your opinion on that? What like are you like because you're a younger guy, so you know, us older guys like to hear you grew up kind of more in the the algorithm age. What's your opinion on the the new playoff system being algorithm-based and yeah, not as merit-based as it used to be?

SPEAKER_02 34:03

So I think we can kind of somewhat take a step back because our league's so good. Yeah, you know, like um, and I know it uh I think four teams four teams went last year. Yeah, right. Could have been five.

SPEAKER_01 34:19

Zavor had a good chance of winning too.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Yeah, so um I think just the bottom line is win. You know, win and you don't have to worry about it. I'm not big on a oh, we should have been in this division, or oh man, I wish we were in this division, or you know, I think it kind of just speaks for itself. I think it ultimately it it works out, you know. Um but yeah, I think just just winning kind of solves everything. Same worry. Yeah, you know, don't worry about who's there, just beat them. Yeah, yeah. But to me for me, when I was playing, I was so in love with CIF. Like I wanted to win CIF championships. Yeah, I didn't care about league. Yeah, you know, like we won league a lot in in you know, football and basketball, but it wasn't like oh my god, we needed it, right? But when playoffs started, yeah, no, everybody like it was time. Yeah, you know, now obviously you don't have the luxury, especially with this league, of messing around. Right because you could miss it. Yeah, so taking that league, so I think just not really looking at it from the standpoint of so much of rankings and stuff, but like each game just locking into that individual game of like how can we win this game? What do we need to do to win this game? Right, you know, and and not worry about you know what league or or section you know, and I know there's different ways to do it, yeah, you know, but um I'm not gonna throw a game to get a seed or play somewhere somebody week or yeah, you know, if we're if we're in a tough playoff division because we're good, I mean, that's what it is. Yeah, yeah, you know, like so.

SPEAKER_01 36:08

Yeah, line them up, man. Coming from a coming from a premier athlete over here, man. That's that's how he that's how he played and that's how he's gonna coach, man.

SPEAKER_04 36:15

Less to worry about, too. He just gotta worry about winning.

SPEAKER_01 36:18

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you're you hear a lot of different philosophies because of that now. Like there's guys that are changing their schedule, and there's guys that are, you know, hey, we should we should lose a game here or go do your, you know, we really figured it out, I think, with I know it's different sport, but with basketball this year, you know, at Palm Springs, there was games where basically what we did is we felt we had a good chance of winning league.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

So all preseason and any games we played that wasn't league was tough. It was tough. So like this year they didn't have an amazing record, but um they they did a good job of playing, you know, tough teams. And the division that we went to we we should have we should have won. Right, you know, we ended up losing um in LA this year um on a buzzer beater, uh, you know, in second round. But um, you know, if we win now, we're I think we're pretty good. So um you know, I think I think playing a tough team rewards you I like it. I do.

SPEAKER_04 37:21

That's Armstrong's old philosophy, man. Playing he wanted to play the best, yeah, makes you the best, and then you know, we get to league, and then it's pretty easy to end league. Yeah. You're just used to playing, you know, higher um talent.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

Yeah, and that was one thing that really helped me when I was playing, uh, especially basketball, was we were always playing tough competition. So we were so used to tight games. Yeah. We never like your first tight game in the playoffs, right? We we were, you know, we we felt comfortable.

unknown 37:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:51

And so that's kind of what I want to get with these kids is like, hey, get comfortable like in the fire. Like get comfortable when it's when when it's a third and short and it's you know the fourth quarter and we need to stop. You know, you gotta be disciplined not to jump. You gotta be, you know, but you know, how can we get off the ball? How can, you know, someone's gotta make a play. Yeah, yeah. Somebody gotta somebody's gonna do it. Somebody gotta step up, man. Yeah. So I think uh I think tougher competition is the way to go ultimately. Yeah. You know, but kids do need some confidence. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 38:23

You know, side note on that though, playing tougher competition gives you really good guys, the guys that got a chance to play at the next level. Yeah. A lot of film to put out there, right?

SPEAKER_02 38:32

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:32

Because if you're if you're playing subpar competition, you got some dudes that might be able to play at the next level, you're sending you're sending recruiters those tapes to those subpar teams, or they're not even gonna look at it.

SPEAKER_02 38:42

Yeah, they look at, you know, they look like that. They look at the competition, right? For sure, man.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

So you know that you're doing your your best players a uh disservice by not at least having one or two games against really good companies.

SPEAKER_04 38:53

Or vice versa, they're actually recruiting someone else on the other team because they're good, and you're you're one of your guys are standing out. Like, who's that kid?

SPEAKER_02 38:59

That's actually how one of uh one of uh my good friends, uh Andy Keene, you know, UCLA. Yeah, yeah. Um, that's that's how I'd heard that he got looked. Yeah, there was he was playing somebody that night that was supposed to be going there. Uh-huh. We just whooped him. Hey, you know, and that caught the UCLA coach was like, okay, who's this guy? Yeah, I don't care.

SPEAKER_01 39:23

Talk about this guy. The guy kicked his butt, you know. So the upside of playing good competition, there's a lot of upside. So I think you got the right philosophy. And it doesn't surprise me because you were a premier athlete. I mean, you play at the professional level, you know, hey, we got to get to this, there's this standard that we got to get to. And playing the the teams that are not gonna make us better is not acceptable. Yeah, right. You want every week to kind of make you better.

SPEAKER_02 39:45

So yeah, and I think just getting everybody on the same page, you know, letting parents know that. Yeah, you know, like you we gotta look at that. You know, if we take a loss, like don't freak out.

SPEAKER_04 39:58

Yeah, I got a plan.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

You know, yeah, but um at the same time, I do know expectations. I do know tough sometimes.

SPEAKER_04 40:05

You don't you're gonna hear it in the you know what was that, coach?

SPEAKER_01 40:08

We're in a results-based business, man. Um, ultimately it's a results based on the business. We've all been there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've all been there, man. Um kind of running up against time here, coach.

Advice On Sacrifice And Life Habits

SPEAKER_01 40:17

But I know you're relatively new to the head coaching game, but you've been in the coaching space for a long time. Yeah, you know, you went through the process and you're a young, up and coming, brilliant mind on the game. So that we always ask our coaches, what would you tell the next generation coming up that maybe like thinking maybe the player that's getting to the end of his career and he wants to make the transition, what advice would you give to that player?

SPEAKER_02 40:38

So I would say kind of lifestyle change. You know, I would kind of say kind of say like if you do want to be good at something, unfortunately, you are gonna have to make a sacrifice. So even myself going to the pros and just kind of being at Georgia and everything I viewed like you do have to be obsessed at some point if you want to go to the higher levels, you know. Um so just that and just just listening, you know, listening and the consistency of um just being a good person and and believing in like karma and just just making sure that you know you're on the right track, you know, in life. And I think that's one of the things is you know, everybody's so into social media, yeah. And sometimes it's awesome, but sometimes there's stuff where the kids copy or try to emulate from social media and it's not good. Yeah, that's not real, you know. So um I think just giving them like a good balance of um just life stuff, you know, but I I think I would say um to like the younger generation, like just at the end of the day, like you do have to just put your blinders on and work, yeah, you know, because ultimately that's um I've seen amazing, amazing especially a pause brings amazing athletes who should be in the league, who who do that, but just sometimes grades aren't good, sometimes they don't they don't want to do the extra workout, sometimes you know they don't wanna you know a lot of it too is um emotional control, emotional regulation.

SPEAKER_04 42:17

Yeah, you know that's what they're learning in sports, yeah. That's a part of it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Yeah, you know, if something goes wrong, like you have to stay cool, you have to remain calm. Like, what's the bigger picture? What's you know, you do have to zoom out and and not let an emotional decision at the time dictate a year or two years. Yeah, we saw it, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:38

We saw it this year, right? Yeah, yeah. But you want to teach them to channel it in the right way, you know. Oh yeah, to to channel it into the play within the rules. So um I I remember trying to teach some certain kids that too.

SPEAKER_02 42:50

So yeah, my big thing is like if you want to be good off the field, you have to be good. I mean, sorry, if you want to be good on the field, you have to be good off. Yeah, yeah. Like that's just you know, that's just the bottom line. Yeah. And so I kind of want to come at it from a college standpoint or like even like a pro standpoint of even though they are in high school and they do have a lot of their life, you know, I do want to teach them lifestyle stuff, you know, reading, journaling, like, you know, meditating, uh you know, the importance of just overall health. Yeah. You know, like how to be a good father, how to be a good brother, how to do all these things. Like all of that is connected. And I feel if you do a better job of that, you'll be a pretty good football player.

SPEAKER_01 43:35

Yeah. Yeah. You know, teaches them outside of football. Bigger than football. It is the bigger picture in sports.

SPEAKER_02 43:41

You can be successful if you don't make it.

SPEAKER_01 43:43

Yeah. Exactly. And the chances of that happening are very slim. So for the most of us. Well, you know, our job as coaches is creating good young men, ready, ready to be, ready to be good men and able to deal with adversity in their lives. It's all coming for us. It's gonna come. Yeah. There's no doubt about it. It's all coming. Yeah.

Closing Thoughts And Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 44:01

Well, coach, you know, you're a relatively new guy on the scene. We'll welcome you to the community. We're going to be rooting for you, man, because we want Shadow Hills to be, you know, what Shadow Hills has always been and even maybe exceed what they've been in the past. I know you have a big job ahead of you.

SPEAKER_00 44:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:16

Um, but we're rooting for you, man. You got a friend in the show, and you know, we're gonna be we're gonna be in your corner. Love to have you back in the preseason, talk about what you're seeing out there. Yeah, come watch some games. Yeah, we'll definitely be out there. Appreciate you guys having me. Yeah, we're definitely we definitely want to have you back and bring it, you know, when you see your team and have a little bit more, we'll be a little bit farther in the journey. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:35

We'll have a little bit deeper conversations and more to chop up. Awesome, man.

SPEAKER_01 44:39

Awesome. Well, thanks for coming in, coach.

SPEAKER_02 44:41

Yeah, thanks again for having me.

SPEAKER_01 44:42

Yeah, so so if you guys found some value, you know the routine, like, subscribe, and follow, and we'll see you next time on Desert Valley Blitz. Peace.