Timing Is Everything

Dickie Schock is now in his football office preparing for the 2009 football campaign as Gryphon football coach.

Schock is a former player of B.W. Holt at Starmount High and he was even an assistant who came to Rocky Mount with Holt. He left RMHS to find a head coaching job and prove he could win. Schock comes to Rocky Mount as the head coach of Orange High in Hillsborough. Last August, Orange participated in the football jamboree held at the Athletic complex. Schock was named coach of the year last year in Orange County high's football league.

My personal list had Schock as my No. 2 choice behind Jack Ginn, the former Wesleyan football coach who had been rumored coming back next season to assist Holt. Ginn, who left Wesleyan a season ago, had never sold his house in Rocky Mount and his family was still here.

Can't blame anyone who wants to keep his family intact even if it means going back to high school.

From last year's coaching staff, Chris Lee would have been my choice to become coach if the job would have been given to a existing staff member. However, Lee took the head coaching job in Louisburg in January which tells me I don't think Holt had any idea he was not going to return then. Chris also knew in order to be an assistant wanting to be a head coach, he needed to go off and prove he could coach and be a winner.

If the players had a vote, I believe that Jason Battle would have gotten it. Like Lee, he needs to prove himself. I think what hurt him was this resigning as assistant baseball coach a week before the season started. I'm sure Jason felt he had a justifiable reason, but talk about poor timing in relationship to the football opening.

J.J. Jones is another assistant that needs to prove he can lead a team and win at the same time. If Schock stays here in Rocky Mount for 20 years and J.J. or Jason have desires to be a head coaches, they will have to look elsewhere to be a head coach.

If history can tell you anything about coaching length of time, the average Gryphon coach has stayed five years. Five years from now or 20 years down the road, I don't think the next coach for Rocky Mount will be an assistant who has never been a head coach.

Holt had put Rocky Mount in the elite status in high school football in North Carolina. I have no idea who applied or who got interviews. I can tell you this that Rocky Mount High football has over many years been seen as a program that had good athletes.

Holt brought disipline to a program that was a sleeping giant. It didn't hurt one bit Rocky Mount dropping from one of the smallest 4-A schools to an average size 3-A school.

Playing 3-A has meant that Rocky Mount could use all that speed and athleticism and great coaching to win on what was now a level playing field.

Rocky Mount still has speed and athleticism. It will be up to Schock to continue the great coaching.

How well the assistants respond to Schock's way over B.W.'s could affect them when they do try to become head coaches elsewhere.

It doesn't matter whether it's the NFL, college or high school. When your program wins, everyone else wants to grab hold of a proven assistant on a winning program over a program going nowhere. Chris Lee is a good example. He was a top assistant who led the JV team to a tremendous record. He’s now the head man at Louisburg.

For all the assistants who are back this year, the best way to get a head job next year is to win again this year. Other schools will come calling.