Auburn Riverside Athletic Director Kyle Jones introduced Eddie George as the new head basketball coach in an introductory press conference on Sept. 4 inside the library at Auburn Riverside High School. George was everything the athletic director hired him to be: knowledgeable, tough, and above all, optimistic.
“We had myself, a couple of other coaches, and four student athletes on the interview panel. It was just, far and away, this man is going to be a great mentor for our kids,” Jones said.
Jones, while excited for many on-court surprises this season, is mainly looking forward to how George impacts the young men of the Auburn Riverside basketball program.
“I’m most excited for the mentorship and leadership Coach George is going to bring to the program,” Jones said. “When I was making reference calls, everyone raved about it. He holds athletes accountable and makes athletes become leaders in the community even after he leaves the program.”
For Auburn Riverside’s basketball program, it’s not just about involving athletes positively in the community — it’s about making sure the community is involved in the basketball. Jones hopes that George can strengthen these ties in a positive fashion.
“Basketball has always been a top priority in the building, regardless of success. I’ve had three-fourths of our staff just excited that we have someone coming in with high energy that wants to be part of the culture,” Jones said. “It doesn’t go one way, either. George already reached out to our football coach to see how he can support them. He’s just really invested in Auburn Riverside, and that’s great.”
One of the biggest traits that separated George from the other candidates was his overseas professional experience.
“I could talk for days about what it’ll help me bring to the team. The experience, the sets, the mindset, the grit, the toughness, the understanding – there’s so many facets of the game,” George said.
While George has a plethora of experience both on the court and off the court coaching, this is a partially new experience for him.
“Even just living in these neighborhoods now, you see so many people that are a part of this,” George said. “And I was a part of something else, but now I’m actually in the midst of it, and that’s really exciting.”
George knows that this job won’t be easy. It’s not one where he can merely go through the motions and win basketball games while simultaneously cultivating a strong community. Because of this, he has a plan for reaching his young team.
“A team comes with trust, and we need to start somewhere. I’m a true believer in leading by example, and when you lead by example, your word is all you have. When you say something, you have to stand on it,” George said.
This is not an empty promise, either. George began leading by example before he was even hired — as early as during the interview process.
“When we were in the interviews, the four athletes we had there asked [George] what he was planning on doing for defense,” Jones said. “He goes, ‘well, I can talk about it, or I can show you.’ And he just started teaching them on the spot in an interview, and you could just see that light go off like this guy really cares about me, but also knows how to coach me.”
That anecdote is a prime example of how George plans to run the season: focusing on the players, ensuring the fundamentals are done correctly.
“A lot of times we do what we do. We’re not really concerned about what anyone else does,” George said. “We’ll work on specific defenses based upon their offense, and we’ll adapt. We’ll be able to switch from man to zone back to man, trap pass, trap third pass, trap fifth pass, all in one possession.”
With Coach George covering most of these points in his introductory remarks to athletes and parents, there was undeniable optimism in the room. Jones, however, is optimistic about more than just the season. He’s optimistic about his athletes’ futures.
“It’s important to [Eddie] that our team is going out and being in the community, giving our kids more skills and more opportunities to say ‘hey, I was a part of this, I was at the food bank, I worked with the Auburn community’ when they go to apply for jobs or to get into college,” Jones said. Those are the extra things George brings to the program that we haven’t necessarily had.”
While all the immediate signs look positive, only time will tell whether Coach George is the right pick for this Auburn Riverside basketball team and community. For now, it’s as Coach George said in his speech: “If I don’t believe in myself that I can turn this around, then who will believe in me?”
