Pictured is new Coosa Christian boys basketball coach Eddy Norris coaching at Sand Rock High School. (Submitted photo)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
After 32 years of teaching and coaching under his belt, Eddy Norris recently decided that the ideal place for him to dust off his high school whistle and clipboard was 2736 Wills Creek Road in Gadsden.
Norris, the longtime boys head basketball coach at Sand Rock, was hired as Coosa Christian boys head basketball coach earlier this month.
Although he has not coached high school basketball for the past several years, Norris has been running clinics throughout the Southeast, most recently at Arkansas State. That schedule kept him in the loop in the state high school basketball circles, particularly in northeast Alabama, and new Coosa Christian athletic director Stacy Jones eventually picked up on the scent.
“We want Godly Christian people to lead our athletic programs, and Eddy is a quality individual that ranks very high up in terms of basketball coaching skill than anyone else I would have thought of coming here to a small 1A school,” said Jones. “I called Eddy to come by as quickly as he could. We talked quite a bit, and before long we made it work out.”
According to Norris, Jones approached him a few months ago about the possibility of him running a few camps on the school’s Gadsden campus. After some discussion, Jones realized that Norris could fill a significant void in the school’s basketball program.
“[Jones] told me what he really needed was a head coach for both the boys and girls,” said Norris, who with his wife Gina moved to Southside two years ago with the idea of having a central location to the couple’s children and grandchildren. “The more we talked about it, the more I thought to myself that it might work out. I’ve been a district manager for an insurance company for the past four years, and I realized after talking to Stacy that I could do both.”
Norris eventually met with Jack and Amanda Justus and head football coach Mark O’Bryant.
“Just to see how hard they were pursuing me was a great feeling. The interest was definitely both ways, and they led me to believe that I’d have their support.”
During the above discussions, Jones obtained the services of former Gadsden High basketball standout and current Emma Sansom Middle School teacher Daryl Douthard to take over the girls’ program, leaving Norris to focus exclusively on the boys.
“We’re not there yet in basketball, but it’s coming,” said Jones. “The athletic ability is there, but I think it a case of changing the kids’ mindset when you build them up and give them right tools to succeed. The kids are going to attempt the shots, but these two coaches are going to put them in the best scenario where they have the chance to make those shots.”
Considering that the Conquerors finished with single digit wins last season, Norris understandably is not planning on putting the wagon before the horse anytime soon.
“We can only control the now, not the stuff that happened in the past or the things that will happen in the future. Our focus will be on getting better each and every day. The timing is kind of late because it’s already July, but we’re going to try to make up for some lost time. Hopefully our numbers will grow so we’ll be able to field competitive teams for the junior high, JV and varsity.”
Norris stressed that everything he does in his programs are processed-driven.
“If you work hard and get better each day, the results will take care of themselves. We’ll find the kids who will buy into what we’re doing and then get them into the gym and teach them fundamentals. You set goals, but those goals have to be realistic. Right now, we just have to get into the gym as see where our starting point is at, and then we’ll build from there.”
When Norris took over the Sand Rock boys program, the Wildcats were struggling to finish above the .500 mark. Three years later, Sand Rock went 27-3, won the area championship and gained the state’s No. 1 ranking in Class 2A.
“I’m not guaranteeing that here, but we had some eighth and ninth graders (at Sand Rock) who bought into what we wanted to do, and they turned things around in a hurry,” said Norris. “So if we work hard and continue to control what we can control and give God the glory, good things will happen. We just need to put in the work and the results will take care of themselves.”
Norris is one of the most decorated athletes to graduate from Sand Rock High School. He ranks in the top five in three rebounding categories in the state with most rebounds in a single game with 31 (second overall) most rebounds in a season with 567 (fifth overall), and most rebounds in a career with 1,318 (third overall). Norris averaged 20.1 points per game and 15.5 rebounds per game senior year, statistics that helped him be selected as a participant in the 1982 Alabama North/South All-Star Game.
Norris played college basketball at Snead State from 1982 to 1984 and the University of Montevallo from 1984 to 1986. While at Montevallo, he received the Neal Shirley Award for the most outstanding student-athlete and Team MVP award in 1986. Norris returned to Sand Rock to coach baseball, basketball, football, soccer and track from 1996 to 2007.
“If these kids are willing to work and willing to get better, then we can turn this thing around,” said Norris.
Shannon Fagan contributed to this article.