In this series from Gregg Rosenberg, we'll take a look at how some of the state's prep basketball coaches philosophies around building a program.
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The seventh coach in the 'Building a Program' series: Ironwood's Jordan Augustine.
When did you start in the game of basketball?
'I don’t know that I really have an answer for this. As long as I can remember, I either had a football or a basketball in my hands. I had an older brother who took football really seriously and two older siblings who played college basketball. We were always in the driveway or backyard playing one of the two games. The first structured playing experience I remember was when I was 7 years old. I am initially from Utah so I played in the Jr. Jazz league.'
Who started you on this path of becoming a coach?
'I never had one of those moments where I decided I wanted to be a coach. In fact, I never planned to use my teaching degree or certification. I wanted to play basketball in college and felt like Arizona Christian gave me the best opportunity to do that. I wanted to be a journalist and the closest thing that ACU had to that degree was a degree in Secondary Education. I started coaching at ACU while transitioning to life after basketball. However, I thought that I was done coaching when I had my first daughter, Rayna. With that said, I was fortunate to be around the game most of my life with people who know the game at a high level. For two years in high school, I played alongside my older brother, Josh. He has always been a student of the game. Due to looking up to him and my competitive mentality, I wanted to learn the game like him.'
Have you taken some principles or guidelines from some former coaches that you use today?
'I have stolen a lot. Many of the drills I use today came from Tommy Connor, currently an assistant at the University of Utah. I used to attend his Westminster High Potential camps as a kid, and they were some of the best skill development that I have ever encountered. At the time, he had Todd Phillips, currently an assistant at Utah Valley University, and Chris Jones, currently an assistant at the University of Utah, on staff. The level of knowledge provided at this camps was exceptional.
My high school coach, Reid Monson, was a very successful coach in terms of wins and losses. He taught me a lot about the preparation of the game as well as spacing.
As a player at Arizona Christian University, I played for Rick Roth, who taught me a lot about transformational leadership and using the game to teach concepts that were bigger than basketball.
As a coach at ACU, I was fortunate to be on staff with Jeff Rutter as well as many other tremendous assistant coaches, including Brandon Dunson (Cal State Fullerton), who impacted me greatly. Coach Rutter is one of the best technical and skill development coaches I’ve been around. He also aided me greatly in understanding the day to day operations that have nothing to do with Xs and Os.
Lastly, Mark Wood has been an incredible mentor for me. He has assisted me greatly in being a transformational leader who teaches things that are bigger than basketball. I love watching film and learning from people who are smarter than me.
Playing in a region with the likes of Ray Portela, Jac Marin, and Gary Rath has helped me grow greatly as well.'
Is there a phrase or statement that you consistently repeat over and over again to your players during the season?
'Probably too many. We have a phrase every year that we think applies to basketball and life outside of the game. Last year’s phrase was: Uncommon – Do more; Say less. Also, if John Wooden said it, I have probably stolen it and butchered it.
The ones that I think I use the most include: “Row the boat,” “Toughness is the point at which we break. Bend, don’t break” and “Winners find ways; losers find reasons.”'
What is your coaching style?
'I seek to be transformational. I want to be honest with my guys. I love Frank Martin and agreed heavily with one of his speeches in regards to “Tough Love.” He said something along the lines of: I have never really understood tough love. If you love someone, you tell them the truth. That line has impacted my coaching greatly.'
Is there that one ast coach on your staff or an outsider that ever reach out to when the going gets tough?
'I don’t know that I have just one. All of my assistant coaches are great and aid me in making tough decisions. Dan Cornelius has been with me the longest and probably has considered blocking my number on multiple occasions due to the frequent texts and phone calls.
Trish Mathews, as well as the rest of my booster club, is always eager to help and has provided me with plenty of assistance in this area as well. External to my staff, I have a great support system of people whom I confide in and trust.'
Is there that one player or group of players that you are proud of how incredible he/they developed from their freshmen year to senior year?
'Austin Haughee, Tanner Forsberg, Isaac Brower, Isaac Carassaco, Tyler Dolynuik, Cody Carmichael, Noah Foskit, Geoff Hibbitt, George Lopez, Marko Paravac, Ajang Aguek, Daniel Ruiz, Tyrese Eugene, Dhol Majak, Antonio Borboa, Alex Anderson, Dimitri Rouse, Jordan Kafoa, Cassius Carmichael, Malik Smith, Trent Hudgens, Aaron Rice, Dominic Gonzalez, David Teibo, and Jaden Glass.
All of those graduates have impacted our school and program greatly. I have been blessed with some of the best young men that I have ever encountered. It has been amazing to watch a number of guys have success stories due to their work ethic and commitment to excellence. Each group has their own story and has impacted our program greatly.
With that said, I am extremely grateful for my first two groups who had to deal with me as I learned how to coach and lead. Further, they fought for culture daily which aided us in getting to where we are now.'
Favorite memory in your career so far?
'It is really hard to say one because there have been many great memories. Watching Dimitri Rouse, our manager, score a lay-up days after Talib Uqdah passed away and winning a state championship are up there due to how these memories brought our community together.
With that said, if there is one memory that comes to my mind the most often, it is Cassius Carmichael after we lost by 1 to Millennium in the Elite 8 of the state tournament. I rarely tell the story as I do not want to take anything away from Millennium and the effort they put into winning the game. Cassius made a free throw with 1.2 seconds left that would have tied the game. It was waved off due to a lane violation. More chaos and controversy ensued on the in-bound play. I was ready to lose my mind and not handle the adversity the right way.
Then, I noticed an 18 year old teaching me a life lesson. Despite all of the adversity, heartbreak, and controversy; Cassius, who was a senior and would never play another game in an Ironwood jersey due to this loss, followed one of our traditions: he immediately began cleaning up the chairs in the gym. We have many hard workers on our campus, and we never want them to be responsible for cleaning up after us. His maturity in that moment to do something that was bigger than basketball will stick with me for the rest of my life.'
There are many new young head coaches starting out their careers. Is there one piece of advice you can share with them on how to build a program?
'I’ll give 3 that I have stolen:
1. From: Matt King: win with your family. Your family matters more than a game.
2. From Mark Wood: Don’t seek to be liked – leadership is extremely lonely, but it is a lot easier to sleep at night when you know that you have executed what you believe in and done all that you can to make others around you better.
3. From Hardwood Hustle: Don’t treat your team like their record. Whether you win or lose, seek to make an impact that is bigger than a game.'
You always seem to have ready made freshman in your program. Is that from a middle school feeder program?
'We run a lot of youth camps and clinics which has aided us in developing our youth as basketball players and people long before they ever get to Ironwood. It has been fun to watch these camps grow from my 1st camp that had 4 kids to nearly reaching our maximum capacity every camp.'
Many of your players seem to progress their skill level from start to finish. Is that from an off season program?
'Ultimately, we seek to provide them mentorship, in-season and off-season, that will guide them in reaching their goals. However, we have a lot of guys who have positive energy, drive, and love to compete. We have been able to steer them in the right direction but they are 100% the driver of their vehicle.'
How many wins have you earned so far at Ironwood?
'In the past five years, we have won 92 games.'
If we do end up having a HS season, how do the Eagles look for the upcoming season in 5A?
We bring back some of the best leaders that our program has ever had. In addition to solid leadership, we believe that we have a good blend of upperclassmen and underclassmen talent.'
Rosenberg's take:
If you asked me about Ironwood 5 years ago, I would of asked you is that school in Arizona? Coach Augustine has dramatically turned this doormat program into one of the most successful in the West Side. They won the 5A Chip last year in fine fashion, yet Coach Augustine is an unselfish leader and selfless person getting any credit.
He credits others who have helped him achieve almost everything and is transparent with his players and other coaches. With that personality trait is why, in my opinion, he has turned this program around to along with deep development of their skills on and off the court.
This year they will be one of the favorites in 5A again with two future college basketball senior guards and good youth to go with it.
