Published: December 01, 2008 10:05 pm      

Fresh approach

Walker-Holmes adopting new found philosophy

Right from the first basket, Lady Tigers coach Laura Walker-Holmes grabbed her seat as her team played Waco Connally, and sat there and sat there.

She stood up when her team came to the bench for a timeout. She occasionally rose from her seat to yell out instructions. Not once during an entire half of basketball did she says one word to the officials.

In 15 years of covering high school basketball, it was a sight I had never seen before.

The Lady Tigers lost that night — Oct. 18 to be exact — 60-37, a dismal road effort.

They never led that night, trailed 31-18 at halftime, fell behind by 19 early in the third quarter and never got back within 16 points.

All the while, Walker-Holmes never moved from the bench. Makes it difficult for opposing fans to chant, “Sit down bus driver.”

“I have eased up big time from before,” said Walker-Holmes, in her fifth year as the Lady Tigers’ coach. “I seldom move. I used to never sit down.”

It’s a refreshing way to see a coach do her job, especially considering I could never do it. Neither could Tigers boys coach Andy Dotson.

“My dad (Dale Dotson) wore out the whole sideline in the old Tiger Gym,” Andy said. “And I’m just like him.”

It’s the norm for a coach to pace in front of the bench, or kneel in front of it, like Dotson does every night. He never, ever sits down.

It’s easier to yell instructions to his players, especially when they’re on defense, and yes the occasional act of getting on the officials.

“But it’s really more to coach the team,” Dotson said.

Walker-Holmes says becoming a mother brought on her new bench-side manner. She vowed she would calm down, not wanting to be wrapped up in the game, knowing she had 3-year old Kennedi and 5-month old Trace waiting at home, plus husband Antonio.

So she has decided to be less active on the bench, and to complain to the officials only when it’s absolutely necessary.

“I’m not going to put myself in a place where I’m stressing out,” Walker-Holmes said. “I know I’ve given them all the tools. It’s on them (the players.) They know what to do.”

What Walker-Holmes isn’t doing is rolling the ball out and letting her team play, even though it looked like it that night at Connally. The Lady Tigers failed to hustle that night and didn’t execute on offense.

They didn’t play the way Walker-Holmes coached them to play during practice. So unlike practice, where she has a lot to say, she didn’t have anything to say to her team that night in Connally.

“I probably stunned them by not talking to them at timeouts,” Walker-Holmes said.

That’s not to say that Walker-Holmes has completely mellowed out. She was hit with the first technical in her coaching career at Corsicana last week in Burleson.

The Lady Tigers’ Amari Dowell had fouled out, and Burleson’s best inside player had four fouls. So Walker-Holmes said something to one of the officials.

“I said he was so sorry that he had the home team’s big girl in foul trouble too,” Walker-Holmes said.

But part of Walker-Holmes new found philosophy is backing off officials.

“In my opinion, if the refs are bad, their bad both ways,” Walker-Holmes said. “Someday there will be a game where refs won’t give us a chance to win because I’ve gotten on them. So I’m doing the best I can do to not talk to them.”