Page 50 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2024 - Online Magazine

LOCAL LEGENDS LOCAL LEGENDS

TRIBUTE a middle school
coach/teacher,
a JV basketball
TO coach, the Boys’
Basketball
Head Coach
at Lubbock
Coach Knight High, assistant
middle school
principal, and
Head Middle
School Principal.
by Dr. Jesus Arenas Jr. My current
position is
Principal-Slaton High School Head Principal
of Slaton High
School. During
In March Coach that time, I
2001, asked also earned
I was me if I my Master’s
sitting in had ever and Doctorate
the locker thought Degrees in
room at about Educational
Texas coaching. I said no, but that I Leadership from Texas Tech.
Tech, wanted to stay involved with the
waiting game of basketball. Coach asked me We lost Coach Knight in November.
to meet to go to the College of Education Coach was always proud of me and
our new and ask what I would need to do to good to me. I will always be grateful
basketball become a coach and a teacher. The that God put Coach Knight in my
coach—Coach Bobby Knight. I was next day, I told him that they said life all those years ago.
nervous because I was just a senior that I needed to take some classes
walk-on, and I was not sure if Coach in the summer, student teach in
Knight was going to keep me on the Fall, and then I would be able
the team. Thankfully, he kept me, to become a teacher and a coach. Ed. Note: Texas Tech was
and then eventually put me on full Coach looked at me and said, “Well, fortunate to have the legendary
scholarship in June 2001. Playing for if that’s what you want to do, I’ll coach for six seasons before he
Tech and for Coach Knight was a pay for it. I think you’ll make a very retired in 2008. He and Karen
dream come true for a kid born and fine coach.” Without hesitation, I remained in Lubbock until
raised on the east side of Lubbock. said, “That’s what I want to do.”
2019 when they moved back to
Several weeks after the 2001- Little did I know that, over the next Indiana. He passed away Nov. 1,
2002 season ended, I went to talk 21 years, Coach Knight and I would 2023. Senior Link featured Coach
to Coach Knight. I was about to form an awesome relationship and Knight in the Summer 2019 issue.
graduate with a bachelor's degree in that that meeting in April 2002 You can find it here:
journalism a couple of weeks later, would be the start of an amazing lubbockseniorlink.com
but I was not sure that I wanted career for me in education. Summer 2019 issue.
to pursue a career in that field. I
needed some advice. During those 21 years, I have been

50 Lubbock Senior Link