This means a lot. We came through some dark days to get here. The kids never stopped practicing hard. They read more

This means a lot. We came through some dark days to get here. The kids never stopped practicing hard. They never stopped working ... I think this says a lot about their ability to persevere. It says a lot about their toughness.

That was big. I think that was the play that got everybody going a little bit. Then, when I was read more

That was big. I think that was the play that got everybody going a little bit. Then, when I was able to tie it with a free throw, it made a little statement to them.

We would do a tour into the elementary schools every year, and then we did another kind of program where read more

We would do a tour into the elementary schools every year, and then we did another kind of program where upper level students were brought into E.J. Thomas for a performance. What the Children's Concert Society did was share the cost with us, so although we were just doing excerpts, we could do it in a full production sense with orchestra and costumes.

It's no fun getting beat up in the press. That's for sure. I grew up more in that one year read more

It's no fun getting beat up in the press. That's for sure. I grew up more in that one year than I had in the previous 18.

I think the district is as wide open as it's ever been. Everybody has tapes on each other, so there's read more

I think the district is as wide open as it's ever been. Everybody has tapes on each other, so there's not much mystery. It will be a matter of who out-executes whom.

We all try to have very nice gardens.

We all try to have very nice gardens.

Ultimately, they're all in the same position.

Ultimately, they're all in the same position.

The kids came out from the beginning and took care of business. That is all they really wanted to do.

The kids came out from the beginning and took care of business. That is all they really wanted to do.

We make a lot of dumb mistakes. Just mental errors down the stretch. Turnovers. Just mental lapses that come back read more

We make a lot of dumb mistakes. Just mental errors down the stretch. Turnovers. Just mental lapses that come back and get us. ... Giving somebody an open 3-pointer. Not being in the right place on a play.