The Coaches Corner: Coach DeMarqus James
With the season set to begin in a couple of weeks, I wanted to spotlight Coach DeMarqus James from Ft.Worth Od Wyatt High School. Coach James is one of the best coaches in the state and has multiple college prospects on his team year in and year out. In this article you will see who Coach James is and he will give us a little preview on the talented 2018-2019 OD Wyatt Chaparrals squad.
Dre: Tell us a little bit about yourself, and your basketball background.
Coach James: I’m a Christian, Husband to beautiful wife and proud father of 3 girls. I was born and raised in Waco, TX. After graduating from Waco High, I attended Texas-Arlington and played four years under the tutelage of Eddie McCarter from 2002-2006. There we won the University’s first ever Southland Conference Regular Season Championship my sophomore year. After obtaining my M.B.A., I began coaching both in high school and at the Grassroots level in 2009. I coached with Texas Select Grassroots for about 7-8 years on the UA Association and Adidas Gauntlet Circuits. I was the Varsity Assistant here at Wyatt for 5 years before I was hired as the Head Coach in 2014. This will be my 5th year as the leader of the program here at Wyatt.
Dre: What made you want to be a Coach?
Coach James: My dad, Robert Wright coached at Dallas Carter High School and in college back in the 90’s and 2000’s. So, I’ve been exposed to this side of the profession at a high level for as long as I can remember. I actually majored in finance in college but it really wasn’t until one of my assistant coaches in college expressed that I should really think about going into coaching and that he thought that I would be really good. I still didn’t get into the profession until after I finished grad school. I guess you can say that my bloodlines reeled me in eventually.
Dre‘: Who is Coach James on and off the floor?
Coach James: On the court, I’m calm, calculating and competitive. I’m not a big yeller or screamer. During games I’m always problem solving, adjusting and trying to think a few plays ahead. Off the court I’m the same way. I’m reserved and don’t say much. You really will only find me in 2 places, either with my family or in the gym.
Dre‘: I know it’s early but what should we as spectators expect to see from OD Wyatt?
Coach James: We allow our guys to play with the freedom to create, as long as they give max effort on the defensive end. We want to get out and play with a lot of speed and quickness. We’ve got a lot of guys that can really put the ball in the basket. We’ll be physical and tough everywhere on the floor and we’ll try to exploit mismatches where we can. This year’s team is built for success at the high school level with a lot of good guard-play and toughness in the front court. If we can rebound at a high rate and protect the paint, the potential for this team’s success is high!
Dre’: What are your goals for your team this year?
Coach James: We want to continue build off the last couple of years’ momentum and bring a state championship back to the city of Fort Worth. Honestly, I think that should be a goal for every program in the state at this time of year.
Dre: Who are some players that college coaches should watch for.
Coach James: We have a roster full of recruitable guys in my opinion depending on the level of play. We’ve got 2 senior guards in 6’1 Dominic Williams (who’s recovering from knee surgery) and 5’11 Kendrick Brown. Both I believe can help someone at some level. 2020 6’9 Big Deion Colbert will clog the middle for us. We have a lot of really young talented guys that I am eager to see their progress and growth over the next couple of years.
2021’s (Alphabetical order) 6’1 Bobby Flowers, 6’1 Damon Gentry, 6’4 Toney Green, 5’11 Kendall Fair, 5’9 Jacobi Lewis and 6’3 Marcell McCreary all have a future in this game if they continue to work and develop. We also have a 6’1 freshman named Asad Mohamed that has a real chance as well. He’ll get to sharpen his iron with the sophomores and upperclassmen for the next few years.
Dre: What team are you looking forward to playing the most this year?
Coach James: No one team in particular, we are just looking forward to competing against our entire schedule. We’ve put together a really tough schedule this year. Last season’s schedule was very tough. We played multiple top 25 teams, 5 Regional tourney (sweet 16) teams and one state champion from 6A-4A!! This year’s schedule tougher than that!!! We’ve always been of the belief that we’ll play anybody, anywhere, at anytime. We don’t shy away from that. It lets us know where we stand and it helps us in the long run. We want to be one of the best, so we play the best…that will never change!
Final Thoughts- OD Wyatt’s Head Coach DeMarqus James is not only one of the best coaches in the state he’s also one of the best human beings. His Chaparrals squad did very well last year and don’t be surprised if they repeat that success. I have posted their schedule at the bottom of this article, make sure you make it a point this season to check them out.
OD Wyatt Schedule