Coach Gatson

Eugene Edgerson posted this public message on Facebook about his son's Senior Day at Salpointe. Wouldn't expect anything different from Gene. This kind of character goes back to the days I called him over the phone about his recruitment by Arizona when he attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans. You could tell then he was raised right. This comment by Gene should be shared to every single parent who has a young athlete as a son or daughter: "It’s senior night and Jazi didn’t get to play. I never once walked up to my son’s high school basketball coach about playing time. Not once. See, that wasn’t my lane. My job was to raise a young man. Coach’s job was to run a team. If my son wanted more minutes, I told him what was told to me: ‘Work so hard they can’t sit you.’ I wasn’t about to teach him that when life feels unfair, you go over somebody’s head. Nah. Life don’t work like that. The world ain’t handing out minutes — you earn them. I sat in them bleachers quiet. Clapped when he did well. Drove him home when he didn’t play. And in that car, I’d say — ‘You control effort. You control attitude. Everything else? That’s grown man business.’ Too many dads fighting battles their sons need to fight themselves. Basketball ain’t just about buckets. It’s about learning how to handle disappointment without folding. I didn’t need my son to be the star. I needed him to be solid. Because one day it won’t be about minutes… It’ll be about marriage, jobs, pressure, and real-life fourth quarters. And I refuse to raise a young man who thinks somebody owes him playing time. #basketball #basketballdad #hooplife #highschoolbasketball #earnednotgiven"