His dad just got home from work. He knows exactly what time it is. He runs out to the driveway to play basketball with his dad.
One second, he’s in his driveway getting shots up with his dad. The next, he’s watching his own daughter run across the very court he coaches on. From waiting on his dad to get home from work to bringing his own daughter to work, there was always one constant: basketball.
Assistant coach Stephen Jamison never looked back once he stepped into the world of coaching. Jamison played sports throughout his childhood, and although he tried them all, basketball was his passion. Jamison didn’t play college basketball because he got into Texas Tech University on a track scholarship, where he could focus more on his academics.
“You’re always going to be competing no matter what you’re doing in life,” Jamison said. “So that competitive aspect has definitely been instilled in me from the very [beginning of basketball.] It’s fueled [me] not only sports-wise, but also [in my] academics.”
Jamison did not start his career in education, but after his wife convinced him to give coaching a shot, and he’s been doing it ever since. He coached at MacArthur high school in Irving for six years. He met Branch at a summer camp, saw how their coaching styles were similar, and decided to team up.
“[Branch and I] are not going to back down from anybody — we’re going to stick to our morals,” Jamison said. “We’re going to constantly expect the best out of everybody. I want to make sure that the girls are not only successful on the court, but also in the classroom. Them being able to [achieve] their future goals [has] always been one of my shining moments.”
Jamison said his goal as a coach is to impact his athletes’ lives in the long run. He said coaching consists of being able to take a step back and look at basketball from a bird’s eye view compared to what you’re seeing on the court — it’s two different visions.
“Not only just impacting them now, but helping them in the future, and being able to hopefully guide them and let them make the right decisions, that’s what keeps me going,” Jamison said. “I love coming here. I love being a part of the team. It gets me up during the day and I get excited about it. [Basketball’s] given me everything, so I might as well give back.”
