“Success breeds more confidence which begets more success.”
Darnell Haney, the head coach of women’s basketball at Jacksonville University, sits down with us in this episode of the 35,000 Feet podcast and gives us insight into his journey as a basketball coach. He shares how he got his start in coaching basketball, something no one knows about him, and more!
In this episode, we discuss:
How this past season went for Jacksonville University Women's Basketball (0:25)
How Coach Haney got into coaching (4:19)
Darnell’s favorite travel experience (12:01)
One thing that no one knows about Darnell (16:47)
Darnell’s advice to athletes wanting to play in college (17:57)
Darnell’s next adventure (21:49)
Jacksonville Women’s Basketball 2019-2020 Season
Morgan: We're excited to hear a little bit more about your team and get to know you better. And so I guess, just to dive in, can you tell us about the highs and lows of your current season?
Coach Haney: We've had a lot of highs and lows going through the season, and mostly highs. We've had a lot of just great turnouts. And we've had different people step up this season, with injuries, different things that were going on during the season. And we've had to rely on some younger players and some older players, with the injuries. So it's been really, really good.
One of the lows that we had was we lost our point guard at about game eight of the season, tore her ACL in the practice before game number eight, I believe. And she was just devastated. She was young. She's young, and she's only a sophomore. She had never been hurt before, so it was kind of rough on her. But the group rallied along and we... Right now, we're 18 games in, we were tied. We tied for second place in the conference. And people stepped up. So I'm excited about this group and how diverse we are as a team, as far as age is concerned. We have some veteran players and we have some newcomers that have given us great minutes.
Morgan: Wow. Yes. I, I loved listening to that cause I love hearing how you guys are like overcoming the adversity even though there's injuries, because I think injuries are huge. That impacts the whole season, but it's cool to see players step up. And have you seen that with those younger players?
Coach Haney: Absolutely. We've seen that from younger players and older players that may not have gotten as much time with it. Our group is pretty deep. Our group is pretty talented individually. It just, it took us some time to gel as a group, but we've come to that gel piece now. We're prepared for our conference tournament. And I'm extremely excited about what we're going to do in the conference tournament, and the mindset of our girls going in.
Morgan: That's awesome. No, I think you guys will do great in the conference tournament. It sounds like you guys are putting in that hard work. So I'm really impressed with you as a coach.
Coach Haney: Thank you. Thank you. We hang our hat on our work ethic, being confident because of our work ethic, just being trustworthy people and people that respect the game, people that respect our university and respect each other, respect ourselves. So, we hang our hat on those things. We think those things are important in order to be a successful program, in order to be a successful person in life. And the program is, we're trying to build people here, Morgan, we're not trying to just win basketball games. We want to build really good, high character, young women that are going to go out in the community and go out in the world and make an impact, a positive impact, on everybody they touch, hopefully.
Morgan: Well, it's so true. I've noticed that, that sports, they only last so long, but they teach you so much about how to be a hard worker, go out and use those talents to bless lives. So I think that's awesome, what you're doing in your program.
Coach Haney: Thank you. Thanks.
Morgan: Yes.
Coach Haney: I think it's extremely important, being able to use a gift that you've been blessed with. Every Division I athlete has been blessed with a gift and a talent to be able to bring something at the Division I level. So just being blessed with that gift, it's important that you do the things that are showing that you appreciative for the gift.
Coach Haney’s Start in Coaching Basketball
Morgan: Oh, that is so true. I love that outlet. Thank you so much for sharing. How did you even get to become a coach in the first place? How did you get there?
Coach Haney: Crazy story, Morgan, crazy.
Morgan: I want to hear it.
Coach Haney: I started as a high school coach. I was coaching JV boys basketball.
Morgan: Wow.
Coach Haney: No, no, no. I was coaching middle school boys basketball. And the principal at the school I was at got a promotion, and she ended up being the principal at the high school, maybe about five to six miles away. So I went over to the high school then, and there was a coach, my mentor now, name is Jerry Howard. I got a chance to talk with him and he liked my work ethic and I was young and upbeat. And he offered me the eighth and ninth grade basketball coaching job .
Morgan: Wow.
Coach Haney: So I took the job, not knowing anything. I took it, and I was teaching at the school, and he asked me to run the program while he was coaching football, because he was also a football coach.
So I was running the program in the fall, before the season started. So I was doing the weight training and doing all of that. And then when he came over, the program had been... He felt like he had been in good hands. So he then offered me, maybe about a week into the practice, he offered me the head of JV job.
Said, "Want to take the JV over?" I said, "Okay, I'll take the JV over, and I need you to..." He asked me to assist him with the varsity. So we did that and we were really successful. We went to the state final, two years, we were maybe... we may have been 48 and eight or 48 and nine or something like that, in two years.
And I got a job. I got a head boys job at a school in Groveland, Florida, because the school I was at was in Orlando, Florida. That was high school. I got a job in Groveland, Florida, Groveland South Lake High School. I was there for a year. And during that year I was driving back and forth, home, because I lived in Orlando and it was an hour drive every day. And we were getting up bright, at six in the morning.
So I was driving back and forth every day, and my son had just been born. So I was getting it from my wife. My wife was, "You know, you're gone all the time, and you're so far away." And if things came up, I had to drive an hour. So what I did was, I was going to go back to the high school, Jones High School, where I was at, and I was going to assist Coach Howard again, just help him out so I could be back home with my-
Morgan: Your family.
Coach Haney: ... son, right, and my family. So when I got back, I talked with the principal again. And she asked if I would coach girls basketball. And I said, "I will never coach girls basketball, ever-"
Morgan: That's so funny.
Coach Haney: "... in my life." And so I walk in the gym, she's like, "Come with me." So I walk in the gym. She walked me over to the gym. I walk in the gym and I see a young lady, one of my... I call them one of my basketball daughters.
She was just entering the ninth grade. She had a tremendous amount of skill, and she was really, really good. And she was playing against the boys. So I see "You know what? I think I can do this." So I took the job, and we were pretty successful again, pretty fast. We ended up going to the state final.
And the former head coach at Jacksonville was recruiting in the area, and she had come by my practice a couple times. And I didn't think nothing of it. And she ended up calling me one day. And it was maybe April, I remember the NBA finals was over, she ended up calling me. And she was an assistant at Clemson at the time. Her name is Yolett McCuin. Right now, she's the head coach at Ole Miss.
She ended up calling me about, late one night in April, and asked if I want to be her assistant at Jacksonville. And I'm like, "Coach, I respect you. I think we can do some great things, but I kind of got it rolling here at the high school." And then I talked to my wife, and my wife was like, "You could always go back to high school basketball." And that's where I get a lot of my advice from. Women are very, very knowledgeable when it comes to stuff like this.
So I went out on a limb and I just took the job. I took a pay cut, took the job. And we were two years in, and the third year, we ended up winning the conference championship.
Yes. The third year, we won the conference championship and we ended up going to the NCAA Tournament and played a juggernaut at South Carolina. After that, the fourth year and fifth year, Coach Yo was getting a lot of calls for jobs at higher levels. So she ended up taking the job at Ole Miss, and I was presented the opportunity to interview for the job here, at Jacksonville. With God's grace, I was able to go on to this job here, and I'm forever grateful to my president, my athletic director, for believing in me to go ahead and take the reins this job. And we've gone ever since, full speed ahead and you got the ground running. So it was about a 10-year process, and I never thought it would be here, but I'm very, very grateful and blessed for the opportunity to be able to impact these young women in our program and impact the world through our program.
Morgan: Wow. That is such a cool story. I love hearing how coaches get where they're at because of their passion and their dedication to the sport and to helping people become better. So, that's an awesome story.
Coach Haney: I can remember when I got my key to the gym at the middle school. I was so excited about getting the key to the gym. And the AD at the time, at the middle school, just would see me in there working. In the middle school in Florida, you're not making any money. Right?
And you just want to help those kids. So I was in there, and I was in there, and she presented me with the key. It was like I had gotten a million dollars, because it just made me feel as if my work was appreciated. And my work was just appreciated, man, and it wasn't in vain. And I could get in there and I could help impact somebody's life to the best of my ability. And I've been able to do that with a lot of young people, and I'm just thankful that God has blessed me to be able to do that.
Coach Haney’s Most Memorable Travel Experience
Morgan: No, your process and your story is amazing, so thank you so much for sharing that. I love that passion that you have for this sport. What are some of your most memorable travel experiences?
Coach Haney: Well, I've had a bunch of them. When I was the head coach at the high school, on the boys side... No, my first year as a head coach on the girls side, I went to a Women's Final Four. I will never forget it.
Morgan: No way.
Coach Haney: I saved up. It was in Denver, and I saved up, maybe... I don't know, I saved up for a flight. And my sister had some hotel points for my hotel room, so I was able to use her hotel points. And I go in the hotel and I go up in the elevator, and I'm getting off the elevator and I see, I don't know if they'll ever remember this, but when I got off the elevator, I see Coquese Washington.
I introduce myself to Coquese Washington. Coquese Washington, right used to be the head coach at Penn State and she's now the associate head coach at the University of Oklahoma. I see her and I introduce myself, and I'm like, "I'm here." You know? I had just saved up the money, flew on my own, road in a van with a whole bunch of Division II and Division I coaches. I rode over to my hotel, got dropped off, and I see Coquese Washington. And I leave my room to go get something to eat, and I'm getting on the elevator again, and I see Charlie Turner Thorne. He's the head coach at Arizona State.
I just never knew that I would be one of the Division I head coaches in America. You know what I mean?
It's just a dream come true. I've been able to... Sometimes I'm on the sidelines, and I look down the sideline and I see legends. I see Sue Semrau, and I see just different people that's been in the game for 20, 25 years, that have been coaching and have been extremely successful. And I just, sometimes I'm in awe. But when I'm in the heat of battle, I'm never in awe, though.
Morgan: Yeah. That is so cool. There's so many cool experiences that we get, and I think that's awesome that you were able to meet those coaches.
Coach Haney: It was on a limb. I just went on a limb and I saved some money up, and I flew to Denver, first flight to Denver, with Frontier Airlines. I'll never forget it. It was the worst experience I ever had, as far as sleep. It was four hours. But the experience of the trip was awesome. It was awesome.
Morgan: It sounds like an awesome experience. That is so cool. So, have you and your team gone anywhere?
Coach Haney: Absolutely. This year, recently, we took a trip to Colorado. We played the Buffalos, took a trip to Boulder. Our group got a chance to go out to one of those mountain trails. And a lot of them, because we're from Florida and a lot of our players are from Florida, a lot of them had never seen snow before.
Morgan: Oh, really?
Coach Haney: It was just those mountains and snow and seeing the people skiing. I mean, they were in awe. It was just a great experience to get out there. And that's what we're about in our program. We want to make sure that the group gets a great experience, and not just come here to play basketball, because those college years are going to be... God, is going to be things that you remember forever. So we want to make sure that they have a great experience here first off, and then at the same time, win basketball games and take care of business in the classroom.
So, that experience in Colorado was awesome. We went to play Syracuse one year, and this was when I was an associate head coach. We played Syracuse one year, and we stopped in the Big Apple. We went to go see a Broadway play, and the girls got a chance to go to Times Square. It was just something they would never forget. We came back.... And the play was, the Broadway play with Stomp, so it was called Stomp. We brought it back, and we were stomping in the huddle when we got back to practice. They just had a great time. They'll never forget it.
Morgan: Wow. Oh, that's so fun. It sounds like you're just, you've had a lot of awesome experiences for your team and for yourself. So I love that.
Coach Haney: It's been great. It's been great.
Morgan: I'm glad they were able to see the snow, because that's something we have a lot of here in Utah.
Coach Haney: I bet, I bet. When you guys come this way, when you come to Florida, I bet you try to get to the beach as soon as possible.
A Unique Thing About Coach Haney
Morgan: What is one thing that no one knows about you that you can share?
Coach Haney: I don't know if anybody knows that I have an engineering degree. I was working as an engineer before I got into coaching at the high school level. So I have an engineering degree. So I kind of know how to solve problems, and I look for problems to solve. It's just who I am and what I can do, but I do have an engineering degree. That's something that people may not know.
Another thing that people may not know is that I'm a Mexican food connoisseur. I know it. I love it. Everywhere I go, everywhere I travel, especially in the Southwest or the West Coast, I'm going to try some Mexican food. I'm a Mexican food connoisseur. I love it. Burritos, enchiladas, I love it. Sometimes I'll just go to my Mexican restaurant here in Jacksonville, and I just go and sit by myself and just enjoy it. I'm a slim guy, but I enjoy my Mexican food.
Morgan: I love that. It's so funny. It's true. Mexican food is one of the best foods around. Have you ever had Cafe Rio?
Coach Haney: Yes. I love it.
Morgan: It's so good.
Coach Haney: Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
Coach Haney’s Advice to Future Athletes
Morgan: If you're an athlete wanting to play for a team or university, what would your advice be to them?
Coach Haney: Hmm. One of the things I would advise is to really have a passion to do it, in college, because the time demands and the demands of the coaches, and the bumps and the bruises and the grind of the season and the grind of just preparation for the season is going to take a toll on you, if you don't love it. So you have to really love it. And your parents can't love it for you, and your friends can't love it for you, and you can't want it just so you can get your likes on social media.
I just think you have to really, really love it, because it'll take a toll on you, if you don't. With that will come the reward of just the satisfaction of just being able to play the game. And then when the game is over with or when your career is over with, whenever that is, be it post-college, post-pro, whatever, you'll really appreciate the opportunity to be able to do that.
I think that's the most important thing, just being passionate about it, because that passion is going to allow you to just see things in a different light. Understand that you're doing this, you're staying up at 2:00 in the morning getting some homework done, so that you can play the game that you love to play. And you're getting in and you're running those sprints. And Mom isn't going to run those sprints for you, and Dad isn't going to run those sprints for you, so you really have to love it in order to be able to endure the grind of the season.
Morgan: Wow. No, that's awesome advice. It's true. If you want something, you have to work for it. And I feel like that's something that you've noticed, and you notice that in your players too.
Coach Haney: Yeah. We talk about this all the time in our program, is just having that passion and being... Our theme is relentless, and it'll always be relentless, because you have to be... First and foremost, you have to be respectful of the game, respectful of everything that the game entails, respectful of the people that you represent, and respectful of yourself.
And then you have to be trustworthy, that I know, and accountable, that people know that are around you, that they can count on you to be at practice in the right frame of mind, to make sure you preparing yourself for games, make sure you're taking care of your body, to make sure you're taking care of business in the classroom.
And then you got to make sure that you have that work ethic, and with that work ethic, wanting to be great at whatever it is that you do, be it being an athlete, be it being a whatever the case may be. When you graduate, just having that work ethic. And you'll start to see the result because of the work ethic, which breeds confidence. So with women's basketball, I just think confidence is a big, big piece. I think confidence is a big piece in all aspects, not just women's basketball, but in a lot of athletics and a lot of business avenues.
And with that success is going to breed more confidence, which begets more success. So the work ethic, the trustworthiness, the respect that you have for everybody around and everything that you're doing, everything that people are doing for you, I'm going to just help.
Coach Haney’s Next Adventure
Morgan: Yes. Wow. It sounds like you're just training well-rounded individuals, and that's going to help the world so much, not only just on the basketball court. So thank you so much for that advice to future athletes. What's your next adventure?
Coach Haney: Next adventure, not sure yet. We got a couple things planned for vacation, me and my family. I'm not sure what we're going to do, but... Last summer we got a chance to go to Dominican Republic, and the summer before we got a chance to go to Mexico.
Morgan: How fun.
Coach Haney: And those were enjoyable. I like going through those tropical countries, getting a chance to sit down. We usually do it as a family, my mom, my sister, her husband, and all the kids, we'll get together. We just hang out in one of those resorts or something like that. So we'll see what's going on. The next thing right now is, we're concentrating on right now, is going in our gym and winning this first game was our conference tournament. That's what we're focused on right now. And then we'll worry about all the other stuff later. I'm in the right now mode.
Morgan: Yes, no, that's so true. And is that what you're most excited about, is just for this conference tournament?
Coach Haney: I'm excited about the conference tournament. I think my girls are prepared and ready to go to war, so I'm excited about that. But I'm also excited about just being able to live life, man, being able to be alive and being blessed to be able to impact young people. I think that's, in a positive way, I think that's a blessing in itself.
Morgan: It's so true. Well, thank you so much, Coach Haney, for letting us do this podcast and giving us a little glimpse into your wonderful team, and learning more about the work ethic and how you got where you are, and telling us a little bit about those travel experiences and your team. And thank you so much for letting us do this podcast with you.
Coach Haney: No, thank you, Morgan. I appreciate it. I think this podcast is something that is... It's just a great avenue. And I've listened to a couple of the podcasts you've done with other coaches and other people. I'm a podcast listener, especially when I'm driving or out recruiting or something like that. So I do a lot of listening to podcasts, just learning things from different people and hearing different stories from different people. So I really appreciate the opportunity, and hopefully we'll talk again soon.
Morgan: Yes, for sure. And good luck with your conference tournament, and thank you again so much for this opportunity to talk to you.
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Theme Song - I’ll Just Be Me by Gravity Castle