Friday, March 29, 2024

Following dad’s footsteps: St. Michael’s Adams named West Section girls’ coach of the year

Following dad’s footsteps: St. Michael’s Adams named West Section girls’ coach of the year

CHINLE

It was an ordinary day for the Adams family as they cleaned their house recently when Carl Adams’ wife told him he received a letter from the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Almost forgetting he had talked with Arizona Interscholastic Association representatives’ back in September, he told his wife to go ahead and read it.

“Dear Carl,” it read. “It is our honor and privilege to inform you, on behalf of the NFHS Coaches Association, that you have been selected to receive the 2019-20 West Section Girls Basketball Coach of the Year award!”

The award symbolizes his stature as one of the best coaches in the West Section (consisting of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah) and certifies him as state coach of the year for basketball. He was nominated by the AIA and was selected by the NFHS.

The title acknowledges Adams performance in the 2019-20 year, his community involvement, school involvement and philosophy on coaching. He will receive his certificate of recognition from the AIA soon.

“It was pretty exciting news,” Adams said with a chuckle. “That’s a new one I can add to the resume.”

Adams was born and raised in St. Michael. He played basketball there. After getting his bachelor’s in early education from the University of New Mexico, he returned home and applied for a job at his old school.

He eventually started coaching JV girls before moving up to varsity in 2016. Around that time, he also became athletic director for St. Michael.

“So I pretty much been head coaching varsity here at St Michael Indian School and probably shall be forever unless another opportunity opens up,” Adams said, “but I have been here since the beginning of my coaching career.”

Adams has been named the Navajo Times coach of the year twice, region coach of the year twice, conference coach of the year, and three times he’s been athletic director of the year.

Last April, Adams was named one of the best girls’ basketball coaches in the state by the Arizona Republic’s “best high school girls basketball coaches.” The site, AZcentral, credits him with two state 1A titles in 2017 and 2018.

Adams is taking online courses with Southeastern Oklahoma State University and is set to graduate this summer with his master’s in athletic administration – another achievement he is looking forward to.

Adams gives a lot of credit for his passion for basketball to his father, Bill McLaughlin, a coach of cross-country, football and basketball.

On occasion, Adams’ Lady Cardinals would go up against McLaughlin’s Lady Skyhawks in games between St. Michael and Newcomb. Victories switched back and forth.

“It was just, you know, going through the X’s and O’s, being able to wake up at 5 in the morning when you’re 5 years old with your dad, getting dressed and jumping on the bus and going to a basketball game and watching,” Adams said.

“I really saw a lot with my dad as far as coaching,” he said, “just the passion he has for it and the sacrifices he made for his team. He’s my biggest role model and I just naturally fell in love with the game, just wanted to play the game.”

Adams remembers when he started to play in Little League and his dad left high school coaching to coach him. That always stuck with Adams, how his dad left high school athletes with real potential to instead come and help train him as a little kid.

That same act of dedication and love is reflected in Adams’ role as a coach.

“It was just playing the game, loving the game and, as my dad sat there and watch game tapes, breaking down opponents, things we would have to plan to do to beat someone or be ready for,” he said. “It’s an excitement and you get that excitement not only as a player but now as my transition to a coach.

“Now that excitement comes back and just a love for the game itself,” he said.

Back then Adams had joked to his dad about becoming a coach himself. But when he was in college and after giving it a lot thought, he decided to switch his degree from architecture (his first passion) to early ed so that he could teach kids.

Just as Adams had learned from his father as a child, he hopes to pass the same passions and traits onto his own children.

“It’s kind of a reminder, too, when I got the award and I had to wake up early to go play our first game and I was, like, ‘Man, one day one of my two sons will probably wake up with me and probably want me to take them to a game and I’ll probably end up taking them,’” Adams said.

“Hopefully there’s a little coach in the making right now,” he said.

“But that’s where my passion came from,” he said, “being able to be on the court and also following in the footsteps of my dad. I just had a really good role model.”

Regardless of how many awards he received, Adams always focuses on helping young Navajo achieve their goals, reach their potential and become good citizens that one day can help their people.

“It’s just great, being able to represent the West and to not only bring this award for the west side section for our state, but also, for our tribe, Native American coaches and all that,” Adams said.

“Showing that we’re able to get this award too,” he said, “and being that role model and trying to be that person to prove that it can happen … I’m just lost for words for how this expression, on how this feels as far as being coach of the year for the West Coast.”


About The Author

David Smith

David Smith is Tódích’íi’nii and born for Dziłt’aadí. He is from Chinle and studied at Northern Arizona University. He studied journalism and English for five years while working part-time for NAU’s NAZ Today and the Lumberjack newspaper. After graduating in 2020, he joined the Navajo Times as a sportswriter for two years before leaving in September 2022. Smith returned in February 2023.

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