For the first time in 20 years, Springfield native and head coach of Tournament of Champions squad Edmond North is back on the sidelines of the Hammons Student Center. “It’s a special place in my heart being here,” said Norris. “The memories in this gym are amazing.”
Back then he was getting his start as an assistant on the Lady Bears staff that went to the Final Four. “Of course, I walk in on Jackie Stiles’ senior year,” Norris said, with a laugh.
But his love of basketball started here a long time before that. “It goes back to even having season tickets,” Norris said. “Section CC, Row 2, Seat 1 and over here,” he said, pointing to the seats he grew up sitting in with his family.
Of course, Great Southern Bank Arena didn’t exist yet. Now this Hammons Student Center court that once hosted some of the biggest games at Missouri State is where his group of Huskies gathered for practice, and where he tried to have the same effect on these kids as legendary Kickapoo coach Roy Green had when he was a kid playing for the Chiefs. “It’s special,” said Norris. “He’s really the reason I coach. The belief he had in me from a young age.”
“Although he had many honors, it was always about the team,” Green said. “And he’s coached the same way.”
Norris even got his mentor to speak to the team in the hotel before the tournament began. It came in handy at the tournament, on which Norris even played in as a member of the Chiefs. “He loves offensive rebounding,” said Dylan Warlick, a senior on Edmond North. “He talked about that for a long time.”
“They paid a lot of attention,” Green added. “They were very respectful for this old guy who was talking to them. I noticed while they were playing there were a few thing there that, I think they listened to a little bit.”
“He taught us how to position ourselves when our guy shoots,” added Chiante Tramble, a senior on the team, with a smile. “And I think I did that tonight.”
And for Norris, he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s their experience,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with me. So they’re creating their own memories.”
Memories that he hopes are a little better thanks to the things he learned from a mentor, and from a place that made him want to be a coach.
