Former D1 Head Coach; Head Boys Basketball Coach at Milan High School

Joined April 2012
130 Photos and videos
My girl is 14yrs old today. She keeps everybody on their toes and makes each day an adventure. We love the young lady that she is and we are excited to see what’s next. I am proud to be her Daddy! #HBDBear #LoveMyCrew
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Jason James retweeted
This @BartlettHoops team just cemented itself arguably one of the best Memphis-area teams of all time. - 4A State Champs / #7 in the nation - 4-6 D1 prospects (Jones, Okoth, Perry, Williams, Taylor, Hill) - Finished 35-4 overall w/ losses to #1 Paul VI, #4 Principia, and #6 Archbishop Stepinac Fantastic coaching job from @CoachDionReal @Coach_McFall35 and staff. Most exciting part is: They return every one of their D1 prospects outside of Axton Perry.
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Wishing my oldest a happy 15th birthday today! We are so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I am grateful to be her dad. Keep on keeping on baby girl. #ProudGirlDad #LoveYouBug
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Jason James retweeted
2 Oct 2025
Transactional vs. Transformational Coaching Dan Hurley shared a story about asking Geno Auriemma for advice after a rough start last season. Geno didn’t mince words: “Listen, if the only gratification and the only part of coaching that excites you is winning the national championship, then you’ve lost your way, buddy! Where’s the joy in the things that you’ve always been about as a coach before you went on the championship run, like relationships with your players, like helping people get better, like making your team the best it can be. Be a coach, man. This is when you really need to be a leader. This team isn’t as good as last year’s, so what the hell are you going to do about it? Are you going home? Are you going to let this thing unravel?” That’s the tension every coach feels: Transactional vs. Transformational. Transactional coaching is outcome-obsessed. It’s about the wins, the losses, the trophies. The problem? When results don’t come, your purpose crumbles with them. Transformational coaching is different. It’s about people. It’s about growth. It’s about building something that lasts whether the scoreboard agrees with you or not. And this is why mentorship matters so much in coaching. Left on our own, it’s easy to drift into a transactional mode without even realizing it. A trusted mentor can pull us back to center, and remind us why we started coaching in the first place. To build relationships. To develop players as people. To make teams the best they can be. Wins matter. But they’re not the why. The why is impact. The why is growth. The why is leaving your players better than you found them. The process is the prize. Stay grounded. Stay on the path. Always remember your why.
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It’s late in the day but my guy is 12 years old today. We are so proud of the person he is and we are excited to see what this year has in store for him. Keep being a leader my man! Happy Birthday AJ! #LoveYouBuddy
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The first day of school was yesterday. I am late sending a picture but I am proud of these 3 and we look forward to a great school year! #LoveMyCrew #MilanStrong
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Big time birthday shoutout to my middle daughter who turns 13 today! We are so proud of her and how much she has grown up. We can’t wait to see what this year has in store for her. I am absolutely honored to be her dad! #HappyBirthdayClaire #Proudgirldad
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14 yrs ago today, this young lady came into our world and changed everything. We are proud of the young lady that she is & of the things she has accomplished. We cant wait to see what this year has in store for her. Keep being yourself baby girl! #HBD #LoveYouBug #ProudGirlDad
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Early workout with my guy! Nothing like some morning work in the Mayo-Wheeler! Man I’m thankful for this place and the opportunity to be the coach here. Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!
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Hey @LHSEagleHoops @cubigred72 @patsodemann24 @buddysodemann We all know, never show up to Saturday practice without donuts! #OskiForever
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If you haven’t been to watch #ShrekJr at Milan Middle School, go see it this weekend. It’s highly entertaining & the kids do a GREAT JOB. Im happy for those students & Im especially proud of my 2 favorite characters Fiona and Donkey. Don’t miss this show! #MilanStrong #ProudDad
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Congrats to my guy @Coach_CJackson on his 1st win last night. Many more to come my man! Happy for you! #Family #Lifeonit
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Today begins my 25th year coaching basketball. I’m very grateful for all the players over the years who made every season special. There is no place I’d rather be than at Milan HS. Im excited about the journey with this team. No matter what-where we go 1, we go all! #TheMilanWay
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I remember a conversation @sunsetAMIR and I had when he was an asst. coach at Murray St. He always encouraged me to: “Embrace the hustle, Love the grind-be an every day guy” It’s something I won’t forget. We started to use for this our program & still do to this day. It was…
Success vs. Significance #HornsUp🤘| #EDGE | @sunsetAMIR
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special because I was a young struggling head coach at the time & he took 5 minutes to give me an encouraging word-I will always be grateful for that. All those years ago, he was chasing significance. Prayers to his family and the USF community. RIP to a great leader of men!
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Jason James retweeted
“You can always hear a good team. The bad teams… you never hear. They don’t ever talk.” - Kelvin Sampson (Via @PGCbasketball 🎥)

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Jason James retweeted
Don’t miss Milan basketball spirit night on September 16th!
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Jason James retweeted
Hope to see you at Sonic on September 16th
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My MAIN MAN is 11 years old today. I love this dude more than anything. He makes me better every day. He has grown up a lot in the past year. I’m proud of the person he is and I can’t wait to go through this year with him! #HappyBirthdayAJ #LoveYouBoy #HomeTeam
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First day of school in Milan, TN! My 3 middle schoolers are ready to start the school year off right! #MilanStrong #HomeTeam
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