Photo by Jared Lindsay
Larry Holman had a revelation nine years ago. He had a good job as a manager at a major pharmacy, but he knew what he really wanted to do. "I wasn't fulfilled," said the 35-year-old Holman. "I went to my boss and said, `I want to be a coach and teacher.'"

That was in 2002. So he left the Hurst/Euless/Bedford area and headed north to Plano East High School to begin the journey that eventually brought him to Weatherford College four years ago as an assistant men's basketball coach. After only a year at Plano East, he took his first college job as an assistant at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. He stayed there long enough to get his master’s degree in 2005 and returned to the Metroplex as assistant women's basketball coach and head women's golf coach at the University of Texas-Dallas.

"I must have really wanted to coach bad, going all the way out there, but it was a good learning experience," said Holman of Sul Ross. "As for UT-Dallas, I think that was good for me also. Basketball is basketball."

As devoted as he is to coaching, Holman is even more devoted to his family, daughters Tamia and London and wife Michelle. So when Tamia was born, he took a short break from coaching in college to adjust to fatherhood. "I wanted to be with her a little more, but I was still coaching at a middle school in Irving," he said.

An opportunity to do some college teaching led him to Weatherford – which in turn led him to his current position in 2008. "I knew Weatherford had a couple of adjunct teaching positions in the Kinesiology Department," Holman said. "Then I stopped by the gym and talked to (former WC men's coach Dave Donnelly). We talked about an hour, and the next thing you know, here I am coaching again. I just missed being at a higher level. I love the game and being at the college level."

Holman, born and raised in Oklahoma City and a graduate of Langston University near OKC, proudly proclaims his allegiance to the University of Oklahoma as a fan. "Yes sir, I am a Sooners fan," he said with a smile. "I love OU." But in the short time he and Michelle have been in Weatherford with their family, they have grown to love the community and college as well. "I haven't stopped smiling since I got here," Holman said. "My wife and I just sit there sometimes and talk about how great Weatherford is."

Donnelly left Weatherford College after last season, and both the men's and women's programs are under the tutelage of legendary coach Bob McKinley – who for years coached only the women with much success (over 30 years in the regional tournament). Holman said working with one of the winningest coaches in college basketball (over 750 wins) has been a boon to his own aspirations of being a head coach someday.

"Everything's just gotten closer with the men and women under the same leadership," said Holman. "And working with Bob is unbelievable. I just try to soak in all the knowledge and experience he has to offer. It's obvious he's doing something right. I hope I can be that good when the time comes."

In the meantime, Holman plugs along as do many hard-working assistants. The days and weeks are often long, such as recently when the schedule included a road trip to Snyder, back for a day of practice, and then heading the other way to Tyler. And there's the recruiting, which is even more of a constant process at a two-year school. "I like the challenge of it all, having to go out and recruit and then getting them prepared to play," he said. "You always want to learn from it and do better next year. Among the many things I've learned is you have to recruit character."

Some have called the job of an assistant coach a thankless one – but not Holman. "One thing that makes my job so much easier and enjoyable is Coach McKinley," said Holman. "He's not only an awesome coach, he's an awesome guy." And while he admits leaving WC will be tough, like most assistants his goal is to be a head coach someday. "I think it'd be tough to not have those aspirations," he said. "But until then I could not have found a better place to be."
 
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by Rick Mauch