How Joey McGuire is using his expertise to drive success at Texas Tech

July 1994.

Crowley highschool first-yr volunteer assistant Joey McGuire arrives at his first Texas highschool Coaches affiliation (THSCA) convention in close by Fort worth and is met with a horrifying registration course of that might want led him to stroll proper again out the door he simply walked by.

however as an alum of Crowley and as somebody who knew the place he belonged from the start, this tedious first exercise felt vital for a future that will have been extremely effective for anyone to examine on the time.

the first step: study IT

“I did not register, so I needed to attend in a protracted line,” McGuire acknowledged, this time with barely extra laughter hooked up to the story. “I did not know what i used to be strolling into. i used to be volunteering at Crowley working by one other certification. I did not even actually know what teaching faculty was. I hadn’t preregistered so I went and stood inside the avenue for a quantity of hours. i am going to always bear in thoughts standing in that line simply being overwhelmed. there have been most seemingly 10,000 there and it simply continues to develop.”

quick forward to July 2022, and McGuire is again on the THSCA convention as quickly as as quickly as extra as a primary-yr coach, however this time as a consequence of the pinnacle man at Texas Tech. His first day on the convention — which this time round is being held in San Antonio — consists of McGuire having to embrace his superstar standing that he has constructed inside the 28 years since his arrival on the Texas teaching scene. collectively with shaking virtually every hand inside the full convention coronary heart, McGuire may even be taking down cellphone numbers and studying about all people who wishes to discover out about him.

“I see an superior deal of my good pals right here, guys that I’ve vacationed with and performed in direction of on Friday nights,” McGuire acknowledged on the FBS coaches panel in entrance of the convention’s 15,000-plus coaches in attendance. “I simply respect y’all pretty a bit. I’ve acknowledged it one hundred instances that i am a highschool coach that will get to educate faculty soccer, and that i imply that.”

McGuire’s expertise on the convention permits him to really feel the idea of the place his profession started when he first walked by these glass doorways in 1994, and he sees the convention right this second as an alternative to assist future Joey McGuires succeed whereas additionally reconnecting with lifelong pals.

“it is pretty humbling,” he acknowledged. “merely as a consequence of i do know what these guys do every day and the method these guys put pretty a bit time in. they’ve been so good to me. As quickly as I obtained into faculty, all people reached out and all people has helped alongside the biggest method. whereas you have that form of response, it retains you grounded to who you may even be and the place you obtained here from. It retains you terribly humble.”

a form of lifelong pals is former Gilmer highschool teaching legend and current UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, who impressed McGuire’s wardrobe selection on the convention’s first day.

“i am not somebody who wears a sport coat, however I checked out it inside the closet this morning and knew Jeff would have one on,” McGuire acknowledged with a easily ironed grey sport coat defending his regular costume shirt look. “So right here we’re.”

Traylor and McGuire share a particular connection in that they are two former Texas highschool teaching legends who at the second are main FBS packages. For McGuire, he sees it as an alternative to re-open that pathway for coaches throughout the state.

“Jeff Traylor would say the identical factor: We each know that we’re carrying that THSCA flag proper now for all people,” he acknowledged. “there are so many good coaches. (Baylor QB coach) Shawn Bell may even be a head coach proper now, he is actually good and there are so a lot of these highschool coaches that in the event that they needed to make the transfer, they’re in a place to be coaches. There are guys in utterly different spots that will be place coaches. you are taking Chris Gilbert (director of highschool relations) at Texas, he is in a place to be a place coach, there is little question. I simply assume that the commonplace and the significance of Texas highschool soccer actually lends to the place that i am in, Jeff is in and one other guys.”

*****

STEP TWO: reside IT

Joey McGuire with James Blanchard

Joey McGuire with James Blanchard

It was an straightforward dedication for James Blanchard, Texas Tech’s Director of participant Personnel, to observe McGuire to Lubbock when he was employed final fall.

“it is large,” Blanchard acknowledged with reference to the significance of the underside-stage relationships with highschool coaches. “With Joey being a Texas highschool teaching legend, that is like Christmas for him. i may not think about not being right here to assemble these relationships. They’re vital. Recruiting is the lifeline of any program, and also you will’t recruit at a extreme stage if you happen to haven’t obtained good relationships with the coaches.”

Early in his tenure in Lubbock, McGuire has put an superior deal of notion into his teaching workers and his scouting division to take cost in recruiting the fertile floor that is Texas.

“Our scouting division is utterly different,” Blanchard acknowledged. “In utterly different scouting departments, they will scout a little one, ship him to the place coach, the place coach has to okay it to go to the coordinator after which he has to okay it for the pinnacle coach. Then the pinnacle coach decides if he wishes to hearken to all of these guys and current the kid. With coach McGuire, he trusts all of us unequivocally. If we go to him and say this little one is a proposal, he has the measurables, the size, he has this and that — he trusts us to current the kid. that is why you will see Texas Tech be the primary to current so many guys, it is as a consequence of our course of is form of a bit faster. it is scouting division-led.”

consequently, the purple Raiders have provided over a hundred and sixty prospects inside the 2023 class and have reeled in a state-extreme 25 commits so far inside the cycle, which has McGuire on tempo to safe Texas Tech’s highest-ranked recruiting class in program historic previous in simply his first yr.

“now we have a man dedicated to us from Orange, Texas — the final metropolis earlier than you get to Louisiana — after which now we have a man dedicated from El Paso — the final metropolis earlier than attending to New Mexico,” Blanchard acknowledged. “We actually have the full stretch. It simply labored out like that. We’ll always flip over every rock. Some guys simply want to maintain to metropolitan areas, we want to look all by the place. numerous individuals are scared to stamp guys. In an superior deal of scouting departments, they will ask the place he has presents from. we do not care who he has presents from. If we see the expertise set and the athletic traits, we’ll do it. We’ll be the pioneers.”

Blanchard’s philosophy mirrors that of McGuire, as he wishes to get hold of primarily the most athletic multisport prospects throughout the state and nation to carry to Lubbock.

“We’re making an try to get hold of guys that play basketball, that run observe,” McGuire acknowledged as he addressed the coaches on the convention. “Get your youngsters taking half in a quantity of sports activities and get them doing every part they will so we’re in a place to primarily consider them athletically. proper now, now we have a little one that I noticed dunk ten instances in a recreation. he is at a terribly small faculty, too. we do not care what stage they’re taking half in at, now we should understand how athletic they’re.”

That message means rather extra to the state when it comes from one in all their very personal in McGuire, and the respect was seen all by the week from the highschool and faculty ranks.

“Joey is an exact legend in Texas,” Blanchard acknowledged. “If Texas highschool coaches had been youngsters, they might want photographs of Joey on the wall. he is the people’s champ.”

*****

STEP THREE: DEFEND IT

Joey McGuire

Joey McGuire

On the remaining day of the 2022 convention, McGuire makes his method by a mob of supporters from throughout the state, as he takes the time to discover out about every assistant, volunteer coach and every pure Texas Tech fan whereas additionally sprinkling in his worthwhile suggestion.

As he will get in direction of the tip of the gang, one gentleman catches McGuire’s consideration immediately.

Former Stephenville highschool head coach Mike Copeland, who took over for artwork Briles when he left for Texas Tech in 1999, was somebody that McGuire appeared as a lot as inside the teaching world forward of his personal arrival at his first highschool head teaching job at Cedar Hill in 2003.

“From 2003 to 2007, I made a go to every summer time and spent the day with him in a center faculty coaches’ office,” McGuire acknowledged. “I absorbed every part I may from X’s and O’s to the way you deal with people on this teaching world. I nonetheless bear in thoughts him saying that if you happen to get new gear to your varsity coaches, you get gear to your freshman and center faculty coaches, too. if you happen to deal with them that method, they will work that a lot extra sturdy for you. he is always somebody that is had my again alongside the biggest method.”

Moments like these all by the week remind McGuire of the place he obtained here from, however in addition they remind him of what’s on the desk to attain. He is aware of it goes to take time, however he has constructed a sturdy notion inside this methodology that the purple Raiders will most seemingly be a strain inside the massive 12 inside the approaching years.

“we want to win,” McGuire acknowledged bluntly. “i do know that every coach does, so we’re working every day. We discuss pretty a bit about being the right variations of ourselves. i would like to win proper now, however i am additionally not gonna cheat the method. We’re gonna put ourselves in actually good positions every week to be aggressive and to win, however i am additionally not gonna take shortcuts to get there. we’ll construct this factor to the place there’s one factor actually particular in West Texas. We simply should maintain at it.”

fortunately for McGuire, he has the blueprint in hand from a terribly notable mentor of his, Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule.

“My mentor says that the group has to study it, they should reside it, after which they should defend it,” he acknowledged. “That takes usually three years. it is my job to see how I can velocity that course of up with out dishonest the method.”

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