Johnny Morgan is in his 32nd season as the girls’ head basketball coach at McMinn Central High School. He has 690 wins and has taken the Chargerettes to the state tournament nine times, including two runner-up finishes. This season they are 14-1 with 13 straight victories and are ranked No. 2 in the Class AA state poll.
Morgan answered questions about his career from assistant sports editor Stephen Hargis.
Q. What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in girls’ basketball during your tenure?
A: “My first season was the last year of 6-on-6, so the move to the five-player game was huge. The second biggest change was when they introduced the smaller ball for girls about 25 years ago. That allowed them to catch and shoot with a lot more accuracy. Now it would be the strength of the players. Girls now are in the weightroom and getting a lot stronger than ever.”
Q. You began your coaching career as a boys’ assistant for two years. What has kept you in the girls’ game, instead of moving back to coaching boys?
A: “Having been around both, the girls just seem to listen better. They believe in you as a coach more. I think a lot of the boys think they don’t have to listen to you just because they can beat you in a game of one-on-one. Girls are more coachable.”
Q. What keeps you going?
A: “The older I get the more I realize it’s just a game. I enjoy it more now. I used to get in a tizzy if we lost, but it’s not all life and death anymore. The kids are in it for fun, and I think being around them helps keep me feeling young.”
Q. What would you be doing if you weren’t coaching?
A: “Other than sitting in a boat or on a bank fishing, I can’t think of anything else I would want to do. I’m in a real good community with a lot of support, and I just love what I do.”
Q. If players ride with you, what kind of music will they be listening to in your truck?
A: “Either oldies or classic country. I’ve got a George Jones CD in there right now, but you’d be surprised how well the kids now love the old country stuff. My son is 13 and he knows every word to most of those old songs.”