James Monroe's New Boys Basketball Coach

[Willie 10]

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

 

LINDSIDE - If there's such a thing as a basketball pedigree, new James Monroe coach Jason Mathis has it.

 

He grew up in the hoops hotbed of Wyoming County, the son of longtime coach Larry Mathis;

 

A standout center at Oceana High School, he helped lead the Indians to the 1994 Class AA state championship;

 

He continued his career at Fork Union Academy and Liberty University;

 

And he spent the last four years serving as an assistant coach with the girls basketball programs at Westside and James Monroe, learning his trade and paying his dues.

 

With that background, Mathis is primed and excited to take over the Mavericks' reins from Ernie Tingler, a mid-season replacement himself for David Johnson, who left because of health concerns.

 

"I'm ready. There's a lot of kids in Monroe County who want to become good basketball players and I want to get them to understand the game better," he said. "It's not about winning or losing, but becoming the best they can be."

 

He picked up a lot from his father, who currently coaches the Westside girls, and from his high school coach, Jim Hopkins, who now leads the Westside boys.

 

"The most important thing I've learned from my father was that you have to develop your players," Mathis said. "He was excellent at that, and it started with his basketball camp 23 years ago."

 

He credits his dad for helping many players get into college.

 

"A lot of high school coaches don't do that, but the players will play harder for you if they know you're working on their behalf," Mathis said.

 

He played three years of varsity ball for Hopkins and averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds his senior season.

 

"Coach had an organized practice, and he ran his program professionally," he said. "We looked good, we played good and we had very intense practices."

 

Two seasons ago Mathis joined the ultra-successful James Monroe girls program, which had won two previous Class AA state championships and would finish state runner-up in 2003.

 

While Oceana had used a running attack and pressure defenses, Mavericks coach John Mustain preferred a half-court offense and a smothering zone defense.

 

"John taught me to look at the game from different angles," he said. "There's more than one way to win a basketball game."

 

Mathis admits he'll miss working with Mustain and his team.

 

"John is a class act and one of my best friends, and the girls are awesome," he said. "I've never seen a player work as hard as (all-stater) Sarah Tuggle, and that's including myself when I was in high school."

 

Nevertheless, Mathis can't wait to get started with the Maverick boys.

 

"We have a 6-foot-5 junior post player, Cory Miller, who has nice hands and a nice shot," he said. "And we also have a good junior point guard, Heath Mullins, and we've got some seniors I'm looking for some leadership out of.

 

"I want to bring excitement to the community, and pride to the program," Mathis said. "Like (Duke) coach K(rzyzewski) says, you have to work harder than your players, and I plan to work long hours."

 

Kelly Mann, a former Monroe County all-stater, and Jim Jackson, who helped Virginia Tech win an NIT crown, will assist Mathis.

 

His dad is a phone call away, if needed.

 

"We talk a lot, and I'll give him all the help I can give him," Larry Mathis said. "But Jason has been around a long time, and he knows as much as I do. He's got his own ideas.

 

"The people in the community and the kids in school seem to really like him. He'll do OK. I'm really proud of him."