Perry’s new baseball coach a fervent winner, learner and character builder. See what he had to say at his community meet and greet

PERRY — Perry High School’s new head baseball coach was short and sweet during his introduction to the community on Tuesday.

In total, he spoke for about five minutes, but he unloaded a wealth of information about himself and clearly displayed his fervor for winning, learning and coaching.

T.J. Watson played under Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame member Keith Hansen at Allatoona High School, and his playing career took him to Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi before returning home to finish at the University of West Georgia.

His coaching career includes stops at South Paulding High School, Chapel Hill High School and most recently, Rome High School. He’s entering his 13th year coaching.

Watson briefly served as Chapel Hill’s head baseball coach, and the program made three consecutive playoff appearances, including their first second round appearance in eight seasons.

He’s been a sponge at all those places.

“Everywhere I go I try to learn something,” Watson said. “I’m gonna learn from you guys, and I hope that you’ll be open to learning from me as I take over this program and lead it into the next chapter.”

One of the things he’s soaked up most confidently is how to win. He made it abundantly clear that winning is not an option, but a priority.

“Winning is extremely important to me,” Watson said. “I think that this program, with the investment that’s being made by the Board of Education, with the investment and the support being made by our administration here, I firmly believe we can be a successful program, and we can go as far as our kids and our families are willing to buy in for us to go.”

To Watson, that begins with heavy preparation and participation. He’s already had several players reach out to him for introductions, which he said doesn’t happen everywhere.

There’ll be open practices in July, but by the time August rolls around, Watson expects full buy-in. In the spring he said to expect practices five or six days a week, with the exception of Sunday which he always reserves for time with family.

“We’re gonna prepare for May starting this fall, and I’m gonna take it seriously,” Watson said. “You can’t win a state championship in the fall, but you can lose one if you’re not prepared…and you’re not doing the right thing.”

He also addressed character development, which has been a strong theme among recent hires under principal Arthur Billings and athletic director Tyler Rodgers.

“The most important thing to me is that I’m partnering with you to make your kids incredible young men,” Watson said. “I want to partner with [parents] to make sure when they leave here, they’re representing the Perry community well, they’re representing your family will, and ultimately they’re representing themselves well, because that’s the kind of stuff that’s gonna carry them for the next 40, 50, 60 years of their life.”

Watson was confident speaking in front of the Perry crowd, but vulnerable enough to admit he will not be perfect, despite the best intentions.

“I’m not gonna get it right every time,” Watson said. “As I move forward in this role, I would be foolish to think that I’m not gonna make mistakes here and there. But you can know that the person leading your kids is leading them with love, and is doing everything he can do to make this program and make them the best individuals they can possibly be.”