written by Chilton Stewart
What does building a state powerhouse basketball high school basketball program look like? Well, it looks a whole lot like Coach John Green, former head coach of Creekside Christian Academy. Coach Green, a former international basketball player was able to bring his experience both as a professional athlete and an educator to create one of the most successful basketball programs in the state of Georgia and Henry County.
He feels that coaching is not just his calling, but his opportunity to give back to the youth and pay it forward for those that helped him along his path. “Actually, helping kids started from when I was really young. Someone took a chance on me when I wasn’t supposed to have those chances. At some point, you come into a fork in the road in which you want to change your direction in life. John Chaney was one of the guys who sat back and told me, “listen you have to go ahead and find your niche and get to where you want to get to but remember to give back to those who gave to you.” He continues, “Once I got done with my professional career, I realized that Father Time is not beaten. I faced this reality and had to accept that it’s part of the journey. But once you get there, you have to create and make a platform for others.”
Unlike some star players who go into avenues away from basketball after retirement, Coach Green knew he wanted to coach kids before his professional playing career came to an end. “When I retired from basketball, I decided to pass on my knowledge and skills of the game to the next generation. Over time, it was fate that landed me here in Georgia. I immediately started training and developing kids on the game of basketball, while working professionally as a history teacher, then moving into finance.
I would get up at six in the morning and start training the guys that actually wanted to get up that early and show the dedication of doing it themselves. Once they are able to achieve a certain level of training it is up to them to continue the grind and not go backwards. So now you have high school kids doing the work that professionals do. How do you continue to coach those kids? It's like having a student that’s smarter than the teacher in the classroom.``
All of this plays into his overall mindset and motto “Opportunity, Preparation, Desire.” Which is a motto he believes so deeply in that he got it tattooed on his person. “How bad do you want something if the opportunity is presented. Are you prepared to do it? Or in todays’ words stay ready instead of getting ready.”
He uses basketball as a tool to make young men better. His formula is simple and biblical. “A child shall lead them. Sometimes we have to listen to our players because this is not our era and we’re trying to learn it, since they live it. At some point we have to see things from their perspective because sooner or later this era is going to be gone. They can learn our wisdom and how to navigate it, but we have to learn about their environment.”
Coach Green has an understanding of just how fast a kid can either set themselves up for success or failure at a young age, which fuels the urgency in his desire to reach the youth. “Most young people don’t understand the opportunities presented to them until later in life. Most kids go through this type of experience around sixteen or seventeen years old, in which they have to decide to be a knucklehead or get their priorities together.”
He feels many of our youth are just missing mentoring and adult male leadership. “Where was the direction? Where was that young guy? Where was that middle age guy or older guy sitting back and saying look here young fella that’s not the direction you need to go? Let me take you under my wing and show you how to get this directed the right way. We have to have that come back.”
His transition from AAU coach to private school state powerhouse creating coach is almost identical. Unlike most AAU programs, Coach Green actually stresses academics. How did he manage and mentor his players to succeed in heavily structured programs and academics? “When I had players playing AAU what they had to do was their homework before they could even come out and practice. That translated into the same thing that is in the schools. Because being a teacher, being a coach at all levels, being in corrections, you still have to put in your work to enjoy the stuff you want. AAU is a different side of the fence, but you have to go back to school and understand the discipline that goes with it.”
Of all his accomplishments and acquaintances, it is his partnership with NBA players and coaches, college coaches and players, and many professional business individuals that have inspired and taught him the most. “When he moved down here, he wanted to be a part of an academic institution that was based off biblical principles and focused on strong academics. He’s community based and has always been heavily involved in the community. He found a coaching opportunity for kids to become part of an environment where they could flourish academically and athletically. So, he decided to ask his peer group to assist him in supporting him, his players and the school. He believes that education and school come first, and if you are excelling in that then you have an opportunity to play sports. “When you have hall of fame players, NBA players and notable coaches believing in you and what you are doing, it motivates me to continue to push for better education, getting things right, and do it the right way. Having a support system that advocates for kids makes this journey well worth it. Sometimes you don’t hear all the good things people do until they are gone, but It’s a blessing having them all in my corner.”
Coach Green understands the value of being blessed and having opportunities that most people don’t ever get to reach or experience. Think about those who take blessings for granted today, and how frivolous minded they can be. In another period of time, your mom would smack you in the back of the head and say you're wasting other people’s time and money!
Indeed, it’s was a blessing that Creekside Christian Academy and Henry County had the experience of you Coach Green.
Coach Green Appears on Voices of The Village Podcast
Get Your Copy of Game Changers Magazine Spring 2024 Edition featuring Judge Stephen N. Knights, Jr.
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