January
2009
It has been a very relaxing but busy year
for coach Willis Wilson, after being in
the coaching ranks for the past 26 years.
"Taking this season off has been the best
thing by far and away for me and my
family," says Wilson. "Every coach needs
time away from the bench to reflect and
regenerate, you see it in academia and
corporate America all of the time, and
this time off has definitely made me a
much better coach."
So what's next for coach Wilson? After
spending this season writing articles,
doing basketball analyst work for the
Houston Cougars men's basketball team as
well as for the local Fox television
station and several local radio stations,
working with local high school, college
and professional players in the greater
Houston area, running basketball camps,
and most importantly spending time with
his family, Wilson is ready for a new
chapter in his life that will continue to
include basketball. "There are so many
things going on in the game today at all
levels," comments Wilson. "I really
believe that whether next year I am coach
or in some sort of administrative role I
will be doing all that I can to help the
game move forward. There are so many
concerns about youth basketball and many
of the off-season activities that players
participate in where I know that I can
make difference."
Wilson has seen not only how the game has
evolved in recent years, but he also is
very much aware of how the business side
has changed. The turnover in college
basketball coaching and the transfer rate
of student athletes is somewhat of a
concern for many in college athletics.
"The pressure on coaches to win at every
level is greater than it has ever been,
and it has become far more difficult for
people to live up to their commitments
because circumstances change so rapidly in
today's world of college and professional
sports, he says. I want to be a guy to
bring stability back to college basketball
so that the primary focus remains on the
players, their educations, and the overall
experience of the student-athletes."
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