VYPE: What year is this for you as a head coach?
Tim Stogsdill: Year 35.
VYPE: How many years at Southmoore?
TS: Year 8.
VYPE: Everybody’s excited to see what the SaberCats can do this year. What type of team are we going to see on the court when you guys open?
TS: Up-tempo team, both offensively and defensively. Two of the best guards in class 6A, senior Jesse Ledbetter and sophomore Kolton Brammer, will captain a very young group.
VYPE: How are the guys feeling?
TS: They are very excited about the upcoming preseason scrimmages along with the new challenges of district play this year in 6A-5A. Every game will make an impact on your seeding come playoffs. No more coaches voting. We have basically a whole new schedule. Our district will take us to the east side of the state and to gyms our guys have never been in before.
VYPE: Talk about your staff this year. What type of experience do your coaches bring?
TS: Coach Shawn Clark brings us 30+ years of coaching experience, a longtime head coach who has taken on the role of Defensive Coach and has helped our young team improve tremendously both physically and mentally on the defensive end. Coach Daniel Harper, who is the son of a longtime basketball coach, has one of the brightest offensive minds in the state along with being one of the best in individual player skill development. Former SaberCat Cooper Stogsdill returns for his second year of coaching.
VYPE: What’s your favorite memory as a head coach at Southmoore?
TS: 1. Getting to coach my middle son, Cooper, and my youngest son, Nate. Our two state tournament runs will always be special. 2. The 2018-19 state semifinals run. The 2019-2020 team that was a favorite to win state that year until Covid shut us down.
VYPE: Which player, past or present, has had the greatest impact on you as a coach?
TS: I’ve had so many outstanding young men that I have been blessed to be able to coach. Every one of them has left something special for me to alway cherish.
VYPE: Which current player has come along the farthest this offseason?
TS: Junior Mason Craven and sophomore TJ Williams have both gained weight/strength along with improved skill work this last spring/summer. Both continue to develop and improve this preseason. Both will play a major role in our team’s success this season.
VYPE: They say great coaches learn just as much as they teach. What have you learned from your players?
TS: They have helped me up my shoe game: [Jordan] 11 lows for practice. Dunk Low Retro for game day.
VYPE: Which of your players has the best shoe game?
TS: Senior Jesse Ledbetter. His goto shoes are Jordan 34s or Kyries.
VYPE: Which of your players is most prone to make others laugh in serious moments?
TS: Senior Ruben Jaime. Great young man always full of energy.
VYPE: What’s it going to take for this Southmoore team to hoist the Gold Ball in Norman come March?
TS: You have to be good and you have to be lucky. Once you get there anything can happen. It’s not always the best team but the team that plays the best together. You give yourself a chance by defending, rebounding and not turning the ball over. Two long term goals for us: 1. District 4 Champions 2024. State tournament 2024. #MarchInNorman.
VYPE: What’s your best advice to young coaches?
TS: Just be yourself and always remember how important a role you’re playing in the lives of young athletes. They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
