Coach Spotlight: Garland Williams, Sherando Boys’ Basketball and Tennis Coach | Winchester Star

Williams received an associate’s degree from Hagerstown Junior College in 1984, a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1986 and a master’s degree from WVU in 1987. At WVU, Williams participated in the athletics team. In 1986, he set a school record of 50 feet and 8 inches in the triple jump, which lasted until 2003. Williams also set the school record for triple indoor jump in 1985, which also lasted until 2003.

Q. What are your favorite memories as an athlete?

Williams: The competition. And make friends. They might be your enemy at the time of the competition, but many of the people I faced have become lifelong friends. The camaraderie with the members of the team in all the teams. Life lessons. Some things go your way, others don’t. What you do to try to get them to go your way, how you handled your defeats and how you try to be thankful in your victories, these things are important.

Q. When did you know you wanted to become a coach?

Williams: I was a major in fitness and I graduated in sports management until the master’s degree. I was in leisure [working for Clarke County Parks and Recreation in 1988-89], and there was a time when we had a basketball and Little League football coach who didn’t show up and I ended up becoming a coach. I enjoyed it from that point on. I have always loved sport and I felt like a coach somewhere.

Q. What are your biggest training influences?

Williams: [Former Handley boys basketball] Coach [Tommy] Dixon. I did some summer league workouts for him for a few years in 1990 and 1991. Obviously the guy who gave me a shot to train at Sherando, coach Don Hambleton [Sherandos boys basketball coach for its first four years]. These two are great influences when it comes to basketball training. [Former James Wood coaches] Jerry Kelican, Rusty McDonald and Dave Weir influenced me for athletics. They all had different coaching styles and helped me develop my coaching philosophy.

Q. What is the best coaching advice you have received?

Williams: People have passed on things they could have heard from different people, but the biggest thing I’m trying to convey to players is that you can’t get too high if you win and you shouldn’t get too low when you lose. You want to keep that middle ground there. Yes, you want to be excited and so on, and excited when you get the win. I don’t know if it’s called old school or not, but it’s important to be gracious and humble about winning. When you lose, you need to see what you can do to improve so that next time is a successful outing for you.

Q. What were your most difficult training moments?

Williams: I say situations where you have injuries or illnesses that exhaust your team, or worse, one of your players has a family illness or maybe even a death that season. These are difficult things to overcome, especially for the family and the team. Young men, 15, 16, can be really tough. And sometimes there are situations when something goes wrong at home with a player, and they need a little help to do certain things. In those moments, you have to lend a hand.

Q. What were your favorite training moments?

Williams: When you have certain things that you would like to perform, and you see that the guys are working really hard to do the things that you ask them to do. You see everything come together and work in the field in a certain game, it’s just a pleasure to see. We set a goal and we have a certain plan, and that plan worked because everyone was on the same page and everyone had joined the system.

There have been games where we have had drummers ringing. The one that stands out to this day is [in 2013] we had a big game against Millbrook. They were by [one point]. We had a play for Tanner Ruths, and he [hit a deep 3-pointer] to win it. (Sherando won 69-67 after a delay of 15 at the start of the second half, scoring 32 points in the fourth quarter.) [2002] we had a good round for a regional and played in JMU. (The Warriors played 23-2 that season, losing to Robert E. Lee 49-44 in the Region II semi-finals.) In 2015, we had a good run [going 18-5].

These moments stand out, but above all it’s just to have the chance to be at school and to be at court, always doing this. I still love the game, I always love all the preparation and the time you spend helping guys get better.