The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 11, Ed. 1, Friday, November 16, 1979 Page: 19 of 23
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Abilene Christian University Library.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
UMU(Ma
- JU-
PtiifilWlBBJfatttWRf!ISlWJttflNiiii
Tate gives more to coaching than basketball knowledge
By DAVID WALLACE
Aslrtnt Sports Editor
a. The ACU athletic department's
entry in a Porter Waggoner look-
alike contest has a small poster
l- that expresses the creed by which
12 he coaches' the mens' basketball
2 team.
r "Our program is bigger than
5 basketball" reads the slogan
uj printed on the near life-size
j picture of a Spalding basketball.
- The idea that a coach is more
K than a basketball expert and his
2 pupils more than jocks has been
yj Willard Tate's philosophy in his
six years as the Wildcats' head
fc basketball coach. The same was
S true during his 13 years at
S Alabama Christian in Mon-
s tgomery.
2 "One expression we use with
our personnel" he explained "is
that you become a good person
first and a better player second.
If a player can get his personal
life straight first if he knows
where he's going; then if he's
keeping 'up with the academic
side of it if he's going to class
then going on the basketball court
for two hours a day won't be too
difficult."
Tate said ACU differs from
schools that make basketball of
utmost importance but he hopes
the on-court results are similar.
"Hopefully I'm here to promote
ACU and not Willard Tate" he
said. "It isn't my program; it's
the university's program. It fits
into a larger framework. I've
been involved in Christian
education nearly all my life and I
believe college is far more im-
portant than just basketball."
That outlook effects everything
about basketball at ACU in-
cluding who he recruits to play it.
"We're looking for an athlete who
wants what we're trying to
teach" he said.
"That doesn't mean we won't
get some that don't. But by and
large we try to get people that fit
in. We spend 90 percent of our
time looking for people who meet
those qualifications and have the
credentials to win in this league
which as everyone knows is one
of the toughest in the country "
Most college basketball
coaches would at least give lip
service to Tate's ideals though
many lose sight of them in actual
practice. But then few coaches
have preached on the side much
less at the only integrated church
in Alabama during the early '60s.
Not many more have persuaded
their college presidents to start a
basketball program and then
struggled through several
horrendous seasons practicing
on a dirt court at 5 a.m.
"Hubie Brown the coach of the
Atlanta Hawks used to say
'you're very fortunate if you can
lose early.' In that case I was
extremely blessed" Tate joked.
His first high school team in
1960-61 won only one game and
lost the other one it played. The
following year Tate added the
college team to his duties with
little more success.
But things changed for the
coach whose playing experience
ended after a career at Corner
High School a small Alabama
powerhouse close to Bir-
mingham. By 1973 Tate had built
Alabama Christian into the 16th-
ranked junior college team in the
nation with a 22-2 record.
That's when he got the call
from ACU with an offer to
replace Garnie Hatch as head
coach. "There was really no
great change in the game from
junior college to the Lone Star
Conference. We wanted to keep
nation Southwest Texas State.
"It was kind of revolutionary in
this part of the country when we
started using it" Tate boasted.
"We were just trying to take what
"We can talk about love and
realize that it's not just
something for old women. We can
care about each other" Tate
said.
rpBmH -rB LdPiiB - !
Tate says that spirit carries
over to the reaction of team
members to one another on the
court. "It's a little strange. I
can't remember a team since
I've been coaching that was so
cooperative when I asked them to
do something. This year I've told
people to run stairs or do some
extra work and I haven't heard a
breath out of anybody . "
Tate believes many of his
teams that should have lost some
games have won them on
"character" alone. And he says
this year's version is ahead of
those teams in that department.
Even more than producing
winning teams Tate looks upon
building the element of character
as his No. 1 priority. He has
preached throughout his career
(continued on page B-8)
the same philosophy when we
came that is running the ball
down the floor as much as
possible."
But Tate soon found that wasn't
always possible. "Things are
forced on you that make you
change" tie said. "They say
necessity is the mother of in-
vention. We got caught in
situations where we had to adjust
to survive."
Injuries over the years and the
unavailability of speedy ball
handlers forced Tate to slow
down his style. Last season was
'the first for the Wildcats' suc-
cessful ball-control offense the
high stack.
"We had already been running
the North Carolina four-corner
offense for a long time. Then
three or four years ago I was
sitting in the Prairie View gym in
Dallas with a Baylor assistant
coach drawing X's and O's" Tate
recalled. "And we asked our-
selves 'what if you took the same
four corners and brought the
forwards out to the five-second
line.
"So it had been in the back of
my mind for a while. Then last
summer I talked about it with
Sonny Smith the Auburn coach"
Tate continued. "He ran it when
he was at East Tennessee. When
you hear about someone else
running something and fooling
around with it you go talk to
them. It's always easier when
someone else has made the litUe
mistakes for you already."
After turning to an almost
complete dependence on the high -stack
midway through the
season ACU shocked heavily-
favored East Texas Howard
Payne and Texas A&I and came
within four points of beating the
eventual third-place team in the
we had and use it to best take
advantage of the other teams'
weaknesses."
But Tate hinted the processes
of change are still active and
what was successful last season
won't be as important this year.
"Don't get me wrong we're
definitely going to keep the high
stack" he said. "It was so good
to us. If we want to control the
ball it's the best offense we know
of to do it."
Tate said the Cats will run but
not after a basket as he has tried
in the past. "A lot of these
changes have come about
because of Randy Scott" Tate
said of his 6-10 center. Scott is
back for his final year of
eligibility though not at 100
percent after badly injuring his
knee in an automobile accident
two summers ago.
"We need him in the game"
Tate emphasized. "And in order
to keep him in we can't be
running up and down the floor."
Most of the fresh new look will
come on defense Tate said.
"We're going to play a great deal
more zone. To a lot of teams
that's just a step-child
something you play when you
can't play man-to-man. But we're
working hard at it. And we're
learning. We want to be able to
play more than one so that we can
switch off and keep the other
team a little confused."
But Tate hopes the greatest
change in this year's squad will
be in its sense of unity and pur-
pose. "We work hard at that" he
said. "We had a retreat this year
for the first time at Camp Butt-
man. We lived ate slept and
prayed together. We had a man
come out and talk to us about
group dynamics. "
s
Nfflyjcgygpg"
IMPORT AUTO SERVICE
"Servicing All Import Models
Specializing in Z Cars"
10 Discount on parts & labor
to ACU students with this ad
3375 Ambler & N.Willis
Abilene Texas
915 672-3249
Partners
Gary Middleton
Jim Thompson
ACU Cleaners
1634 Campus Court
' Alterations
" Bridal gowns
boxed for storage
' Dry cleaning
' Laundry
' Bedspreads
' Leather goods
672-8911
Open Mon -Fri
730am-5 30pm
Sat 8 30 am -lpm
Shirts ETC INC.
Custom and Novelty Shirts
Wholesale and Retail
Special Group Rates
Social Clubs
Intramural Teams
Custom Cap Printing
3517 N. 1st
673-9581
Gm
UMta
MOTOR HOTEL
Sunday
Buffet
if
Roast beef with natural juice
Assorted seafood
Fried chicken
Green beans almondine
fried squash
whipped potatoes
15 assorted salads fresh fruit
Homemade cakes pies and rolls
lla.m.-l:30p.m.
puIO adults
drink included
R9 QR child's plate
vISJM JJ
U.S. Hwy 80-84
3425 S. 1st Abilene 915677-5285
at
n
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View 22 places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 11, Ed. 1, Friday, November 16, 1979, newspaper, November 16, 1979; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91979/m1/19/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.