Grady Giant Calls the Shots as Coach, Athletic Director
Ryun Miller
Southerner: September 22, 1999
At 6' 7", Coach Douglas Slade towers over his own basketball team. At a glance you may mistake him for a player, but from the loud echo of his voice resonating in the gymnasium, you know he must be the coach. On this particular night, the efforts Coach Slade has put into the Grady High School basketball program are finally paying off: the Grey Knights are beating St. Pius X, a state-ranked team.
Now, back to the present day. It has been six months since the triumphant win over St. Pius and five months since varsity boys basketball's final loss to Harper-Archer. Coach Slade is no longer dressed in his dapper suit--the one regular basketball fans guess is his favorite. Grady basketball is no longer a topic of conversation among the students. But last year's basketball season still lingers in Coach Slade's mind.
"We peaked too early. We had an excellent first half but
we just went down-hill the second half. The fact that I was sick
for a week didn't help, either," explains Coach Slade on
last year's disappointing end to a sensational early season.
With 19 years experience as a basketball coach at Grady and 24
years as a physical educational teacher, Coach Slade can be considered
an expert on athletics. He received the Athletic Director of the
Year award last spring for leading the athletic department.
Coach Slade's experience with basketball extends farther than school. In 1977 he was a free agent with the Philadelphia 76'ers. He made it to the last cut of the draft and injured his knee. He hasn't played serious basketball since then.
His alma-mater, Clark-Atlanta, recently inducted him into their sports Hall of Fame. During his four years at Clark he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. In fact, Slade made such a strong impact there that he helped the Grady girl's entire 1985 starting squad receive scholarships to play basketball at Clark-Atlanta.
"Ahhh," Coach Slade sighed at the thought of the girl's team he coached in 1985 and '86. "I must admit that those were the two most successful years Grady has ever seen. In '85 we went 25-4 and the year after that we went 23-6, both years making it to the semi-finals of state."
However, his years of simply coaching basketball are over. As the Athletic Director he must minister to the needs of the growing number of sports and athletes, and must solve the financial and personnel problems presented to him. The once easy and benign job of a P. E. teacher has turned into a job which, over time, includes the sometimes vicious political battles brought by the parents and coaches of Grady High School.
"Grady has a group of parents that support athletics called the Booster Club. My role is to try and supply the needs of some of the teams and coordinators" said Coach Slade. "It seems simple, but there are a lot of conflicts involved."
To add to the conflict, Coach Slade recently found it necessary to cancel the softball and volleyball teams' seasons. "I felt like it was the right decision. There was a lack of participation" he said.
With parents nagging at him, a basketball season to coach, and teaching physical education classes, it may be difficult not to lose focus of his primary purpose for teaching: helping the kids.
"I love helping kids. With basketball I want to be more
than a coach. I want to show some direction and focus for the
kids."
But when does Slade have time to focus on his extra activities?
"I coach three P. E. classes. That gives me half of the day
to tend to my athletic job," he said. "Of course, I
still have to monitor the halls for a good portion of each period."
In addition to Coach Slade's many school tasks a constant pull is to take care of his family. He has a wife and two sons, ages 8 and 6. Both of his sons go to Victory Christian Academy in Conyers, Ga, a long commute from Grady.
So when the basketball team starts practicing on October 18, Slade's time at home will surely decrease. The minimal amount of time he gets to spend with his family during basketball season is "the one aspect of coaching basketball that I never look forward to," Slade said.
"It is obvious that Coach Slade is committed to basketball. He loves watching us play and grow," said Luqman Kabeer, seinor and starting guard for Grady basketball. "He deserves a break." Does Coach Slade have any plans for decreasing the amount of work in his strenuous schedule? "I would like to become vice-principal or maybe even principal of a school some day," he said. But until then, Mr. Douglas Slade will remain Coach Slade in the eyes of Grady students.