Jason Stephens announced Perry High School boys basketball coach, sets expectations in community meet and greet

PERRY — The new era of Panthers boys basketball was not ushered in with flashing lights and big promises, but with an intimate gathering of supporters.

Parents, prospective players and community members assembled in the Perry High School cafeteria on Tuesday night to meet the new varsity basketball coach, Jason Stephens.

Stephens shared a few things about himself, like his affinity for baking, which he related to building a program.

“I understand there’s a process,” he said to begin his analogy. “There’s a process that each and every person in this room serves as one of those ingredients to that cake…Not only do you have to have the right ingredients, but you can’t just stick it in the microwave because you’re hungry and you’re ready to eat it fast.”

Afterwards he explained some of his short, medium and long term expectations, a word he used frequently in the roughly 30 minutes he talked.

“Expectations [and] accountability, those are probably my two favorite words when it comes to student-athletes,” Stephens said. “You can’t be afraid of being held accountable, and you got to understand the expectations are gonna be high because every time you step out your house…You’re a representation of yourself, you’re a representation of your family, your coaches, anybody that has any dealings with you.”

“[The expectations are] gonna be so clear that if you walk into my practice late, all I’m going to do is tell you, ‘Hey, that’s about eight minutes, this is what you got.’ It’s not going to be a back and forth. Why? Because the expectation has been set. The accountability part has been set,” he continued.

Building that culture of accountability is number one on the list for Stephens as he approaches the summer. Two of his short term expectations listed on his slideshow were “culture building” and “establish expectations.”

He didn’t speak at all about wins or X’s and O’s, in fact he made a point to say that’s not the immediate priority. Building young men of character, is.

What that looks like, Stephens said, is being disciplined on and off the court, being mentally and physically tough and having a team-first mindset.

“If we can’t start the foundation, putting all these pieces together, X’s and O’s mean nothing,” Stephens said.

That, of course, doesn’t mean they will never be a factor. His mid-term expectations are to compete for region championships and the playoffs, which to him are the first steps to competing for state championships and having a sustainable winning program, the long-term expectations.

He also mentioned his style of play as fast, smart, mentally and physically tough with solid fundamentals. That includes extra emphasis on rebounding, which is often a problem area for young and/or inexperienced teams.

“If I’m grabbing more rebounds than you, who has more opportunities to score the basket? Who has the least amount of opportunities for a basket?” Stephens said. “If nothing else, I’m telling you one thing we’re gonna do every game is we’re gonna out-rebound a team.”

But, again, he stressed the importance of character more than anything.

“It’s all about character. Not about X’s and O’s, but the things that’s gonna carry you in life,” Stephens said. “To make sure that you’re an amazing husband…Father, uncle, friend, coworker, boss, all of those things. You gotta be the person that’s always gonna make sure that you’re making the right decision. Doing the right thing.”