• A former standout at Mississippi State, Walton was
captain of the Bulldogs during their 1996 Final Four run.
• After beginning his coaching career at Delta State
University in Cleveland, Mississippi, Walton teamed with Lipscomb
Head Coach Scott Sanderson at the University of Mobile before
following Sanderson to Lipscomb in 1999.
• Walton is an integral part of the Bisons' success over the
past decade. The former three-time Academic All-SEC Selection
monitors player progress in the classroom, assists in all facets of
operations, and works on skill development with the Bisons' post
players.
NCDS: Jay Walton, Asst. Coach - Lipscomb ("Final Four Weekend")
At the end of each season I look forward to attending the Final Four and the NABC Convention. A weekend of relaxation, professional development and good basketball is a nice way to wrap up the season. The Final Four gives coaches a chance to catch up with buddies in the business they don’t get to see very often, do a little networking, and attend the greatest sporting event in the world. Houston was this year’s host city and I enjoyed my first visit to downtown.
Attending the Final Four each year brings back memories of my senior year as a player at Mississippi State. We made an incredible run through the tournament beating VCU, Princeton, UConn, and Cincinnati to make the Final Four. We lost to Syracuse in the semifinals and Kentucky went on to win it all that year. That was 1996 but it seems like yesterday.
Some of the highlights of this year’s Final Four included:
- Clinics. Went to a very interesting presentation on mental toughness training by Spencer Wood from Icebox Athlete. I realized we probably need to spend more time on this with our team. I also went to Vance Walberg’s clinic on the Dribble Drive Motion Offense. Some of the concepts will fit our personnel next season, so I was very intrigued.
- Ministry events. It’s always great to connect with other believers in the profession. I have developed some close friendships with lots of coaches and these events offer a chance to visit with them. I have gotten involved with an organization called Nations of Coaches over the past few years and attended a prayer meeting they organized as well as a dinner. Thanks to Tommy Kyle, Jack Lovelace and the rest of the gang at NOC for all you do. TNT’s Ernie Johnson always hosts a panel discussion each year and this year’s theme was a John Wooden Tribute. He did a great job and as always, this was one of my favorite parts of the weekend.
- People watching. The lobby of the coaches’ hotel is always a great place to sit back and watch the action. Hundreds of coaches, fans, ticket hustlers, agents and others all mingling together always makes for an interesting scene. I got a chance to see Moses Malone, one of my favorite players growing up, so that was cool. You see coaches from all levels angling for jobs, sharing tips on players, talking scheduling and trading rumors. Pretty entertaining.
I came back to Nashville on Sunday and enjoyed watching the championship game with my family on Monday night. Now it’s back to the many demands of the offseason-workouts, recruiting, finishing up the schedule, academics, etc. And don’t forget the most important of all-Little League baseball! My seven-year-old has a big game this weekend. It may not be the Final Four, but it’s just as exciting to me.
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