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| The Storm e-magazine of Louisburg College students |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Men’s Basketball program at Louisburg College gives its student- athletes a
second chance at life and at basketball. The program academic support as well
as a new understanding of the game they enjoy to play The head coach of the
basketball program is Aaron Denton, young in age but not a new face to the game
he loves to teach. Coach Denton not only advocates the right way to play the
game of basketball, but also teaches a new approach to life.
Coach Denton grew up around sports, raised ten miles south of Louisburg in a
town known as Bunn. He attended middle, junior and senior high school in Bunn
where he developed his passion for sports. After high school he attended Guilford
College in Greensboro where he played basketball, football, and lacrosse. Coach
Denton loved football and basketball but attended college primarily for football, “I
always loved basketball but felt I could make it farther in football as an athlete,” he
said. After numerous injuries his participation in the games he loved to play came
to an abrupt end, but not his passion for sports.
“As long as I can remember, I always wanted to coach basketball”, Coach
Denton reminisced. His first coaching gig was as a volunteer for a church league.
During his sophomore year of college he volunteered as an assistant coach for
the women’s basketball team and participated in the recruiting process. For two
separate summers he traveled to Denmark where he coached summer basketball
camps. During his junior year, injuries prevented him from competitively playing;
he then transitioned into a student assistant, where he coached football and
basketball for a year. After graduating from Guilford College he became assistant
coach for the University of North Carolina-Greensboro men’s basketball team.
After two years he knew it was time to move on, “I really enjoyed being an assistant
at UNC-G. I learned the most about the game of basketball at that school,” Coach
Denton proclaimed. After UNC-G he traveled down south to Miami, where he was
an assistant to the Miami-Dade Community College men’s basketball team.
After a year of enjoying the Miami sun, Coach Denton received his first head
coaching job at Southeast Guilford High School. After one season as head coach,
a job opening for a college position was available. Legendary head basketball
coach Enid Drake was stepping down after forty-one years at the helm. A search
committee was implemented to find a replacement. Coach Denton was the best fit
for the program, and he was offered and took the job in 2005.
Coach Denton knew the program at Louisburg was special as soon as he
stepped into his new office. He saw his opportunity to develop his own program on
the college level. Coach Denton believes every successful team is built around
well structured relationships. His focus is on developing, building and keeping
those relationships.
“The first characteristic you see in a recruit is how they carry themselves, how
they talk, how they dress, how they walk, how they treat the people around them
like: their mom, their coach, how they treat their folks, are they respectful, or do
they blow them off. This can tell a lot about a player,” Coach Denton explained.
When describing his ideal recruit, coach Denton said, “Skills are not more
important than attitude; they run parallel with each other. If you have one and do
not have the other, you won’t be a complete player. A player must have both. If
somebody has great skills but not a good sense of the game that is something you
can work with.”
When I walked into Coach Denton’s office, I saw a framed poster of his past
players along with a bookshelf filled with priceless personal memorabilia. Four
framed letters stood out. Standing on the coffee table were four framed letters, all
congratulating students for their achievement, commending them to the Dean and
Honor’s list. All of the names on the letters were players for Coach Denton.
Coach Denton stresses the importance of academics, “Academics are a big part of
being in my program. Are they going to class? Are they doing their homework?
We would not have a successful program if the players were not doing the right
thing in the classrooms. You can’t be a good basketball player without educating
yourself; it fits hand in hand.”
Coach Denton cannot see himself anywhere else but as head basketball coach
of the Louisburg Hurricanes. He loves what he does and loves developing young
men into adults. When asked of his purpose of being here at Louisburg, Coach
Denton replied, “My purpose is to develop these players to be the best they can
be, leaving Louisburg with a degree is my challenge to them.” “I want to improve
these players socially, academically, on and off the court.”
Shaping a program around relationships is the foundation of Coach Denton's
approach. Coach Denton mentioned a quote that speaks to him daily: “The best
way to improve a team is to improve yourself.” Coach Denton added, “That does
not only mean my players, but that also means improving myself.”
second chance at life and at basketball. The program academic support as well
as a new understanding of the game they enjoy to play The head coach of the
basketball program is Aaron Denton, young in age but not a new face to the game
he loves to teach. Coach Denton not only advocates the right way to play the
game of basketball, but also teaches a new approach to life.
Coach Denton grew up around sports, raised ten miles south of Louisburg in a
town known as Bunn. He attended middle, junior and senior high school in Bunn
where he developed his passion for sports. After high school he attended Guilford
College in Greensboro where he played basketball, football, and lacrosse. Coach
Denton loved football and basketball but attended college primarily for football, “I
always loved basketball but felt I could make it farther in football as an athlete,” he
said. After numerous injuries his participation in the games he loved to play came
to an abrupt end, but not his passion for sports.
“As long as I can remember, I always wanted to coach basketball”, Coach
Denton reminisced. His first coaching gig was as a volunteer for a church league.
During his sophomore year of college he volunteered as an assistant coach for
the women’s basketball team and participated in the recruiting process. For two
separate summers he traveled to Denmark where he coached summer basketball
camps. During his junior year, injuries prevented him from competitively playing;
he then transitioned into a student assistant, where he coached football and
basketball for a year. After graduating from Guilford College he became assistant
coach for the University of North Carolina-Greensboro men’s basketball team.
After two years he knew it was time to move on, “I really enjoyed being an assistant
at UNC-G. I learned the most about the game of basketball at that school,” Coach
Denton proclaimed. After UNC-G he traveled down south to Miami, where he was
an assistant to the Miami-Dade Community College men’s basketball team.
After a year of enjoying the Miami sun, Coach Denton received his first head
coaching job at Southeast Guilford High School. After one season as head coach,
a job opening for a college position was available. Legendary head basketball
coach Enid Drake was stepping down after forty-one years at the helm. A search
committee was implemented to find a replacement. Coach Denton was the best fit
for the program, and he was offered and took the job in 2005.
Coach Denton knew the program at Louisburg was special as soon as he
stepped into his new office. He saw his opportunity to develop his own program on
the college level. Coach Denton believes every successful team is built around
well structured relationships. His focus is on developing, building and keeping
those relationships.
“The first characteristic you see in a recruit is how they carry themselves, how
they talk, how they dress, how they walk, how they treat the people around them
like: their mom, their coach, how they treat their folks, are they respectful, or do
they blow them off. This can tell a lot about a player,” Coach Denton explained.
When describing his ideal recruit, coach Denton said, “Skills are not more
important than attitude; they run parallel with each other. If you have one and do
not have the other, you won’t be a complete player. A player must have both. If
somebody has great skills but not a good sense of the game that is something you
can work with.”
When I walked into Coach Denton’s office, I saw a framed poster of his past
players along with a bookshelf filled with priceless personal memorabilia. Four
framed letters stood out. Standing on the coffee table were four framed letters, all
congratulating students for their achievement, commending them to the Dean and
Honor’s list. All of the names on the letters were players for Coach Denton.
Coach Denton stresses the importance of academics, “Academics are a big part of
being in my program. Are they going to class? Are they doing their homework?
We would not have a successful program if the players were not doing the right
thing in the classrooms. You can’t be a good basketball player without educating
yourself; it fits hand in hand.”
Coach Denton cannot see himself anywhere else but as head basketball coach
of the Louisburg Hurricanes. He loves what he does and loves developing young
men into adults. When asked of his purpose of being here at Louisburg, Coach
Denton replied, “My purpose is to develop these players to be the best they can
be, leaving Louisburg with a degree is my challenge to them.” “I want to improve
these players socially, academically, on and off the court.”
Shaping a program around relationships is the foundation of Coach Denton's
approach. Coach Denton mentioned a quote that speaks to him daily: “The best
way to improve a team is to improve yourself.” Coach Denton added, “That does
not only mean my players, but that also means improving myself.”
Coaching Life:
An Interview with Coach Aaron Denton
by Noah Putnam
An Interview with Coach Aaron Denton
by Noah Putnam
photo by Jenny Herrara