You Get What You Allow

A Proactive Coaching podcast interview with Nick Brown (no relation), head basketball coach at Arlington High School in Arlington, Washington, and an award-winning English teacher, hosted by Bruce Brown as part of the "Best Coaches You've Never Heard Of" series. Topics covered: the abnormal path from a winless high school season to learning a winning mentality under Pat Fitterer at Sehome; banning "we should have won," radical honesty in public comments, and the "my bad / good job" routine; "you get what you allow" and taking ownership; building the youth program and family basketball with his wife's personal touches; mentors (his dad, Charles Chapman on Orcas Island, Dean Nicholson at Central, Pat Fitterer, Dan Roush, the old-guard Washington coaches, and Bruce); turning points ("you better work on your gut," the terrifying interim debut at Stanwood, suspending five players in his first year, his wife's cancer and Coaches vs. Cancer, and reaching the Tacoma Dome); a culture built on compete, improve, joy, and family; acknowledging the unacknowledged (tribal appreciation night, custodian night, band night); his purpose (teaching — relating Shakespeare to SpongeBob); a deep book list (The Gold Standard, Patriot Reign, Season of Life, The Inner Game of Tennis, Good to Great, and more); and advice for the next generation — stop worrying what others think, and treat kids well.