The dribbling of a basketball, squeaking of shoes on a gym floor, and cheers echoing from the crowd are familiar noises to coach Brad Jeffcoat.

Even though he has been a part of the Bear Basketball program for quite some time now, Jeffcoat has taken on a new role this year as head coach for the boys varsity team.

“Being a varsity basketball coach has been a goal of mine for a long time and it is very exciting to have achieved that goal,” Jeffcoat said. “I am fortunate to work for a great athletic director in Randy Crouch and a great administration here at LCM. I’ve also been blessed to be around a lot of great kids who can play a little basketball.”

Jeffcoat started coaching at LCM seven years as an assistant to Darin Harley. During his time at LCM, he has not only helped several varsity teams advance to playoffs, but he also coached last year’s JV team to a varsity tournament championship win. With his new coaching role, Jeffcoat has set many goals for this year’s varsity team.

“Our team’s goals for the 2016-2017 basketball season are to win more than 20 games, finish second or better in our district, and win no less than one playoff game,” Jeffcoat said. “Off the court, our goals include doing a minimum of 250 hours of community service and achieving a team GPA of 3.0.”

According to Jeffcoat, he learned many valuable things from Harley that have helped him in his new role as head coach – the most memorable lesson being the importance of humility and enjoying the ride.

“Coaches are here to help the players, and the players are here because they enjoy basketball,” Jeffcoat said. “I believe that you always play and coach better when it is fun.”

Jeffcoat said he did not always intend to be a basketball coach. In fact, he graduated from Auburn University with a finance degree and was offered a job as a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial.

“Unfortunately, I did not enjoy that career as I thought I would and made the move to be in education,” he said. “Sometimes life doesn’t go as expected, but we always seem to end up where we’re supposed to.”

Sports has always had an impact on Jeffcoat’s life, even at a young age. He grew up competing in soccer, football, baseball and track, but said basketball was always the most fun to him.

“I was a decent little basketball player back in my day,” Jeffcoat said. “Obviously, I am 6’5, but I always tried to be a versatile, well-rounded basketball player. Most importantly, I feel like I have always had a very good understanding and feel for the game.”

As head coach, Jeffcoat said he hopes to see his team accomplish a great deal this season. Jeffcoat will be documenting the basketball team’s season on Twitter (@lcmbasketball), Instagram (@lcmbkb), and Facebook (LCM Basketball), in addition to a website (www.lcmbasketball.com).

“We’ve got a great group of players and we’re a little bit deeper than we’ve been in the past,” Jeffcoat said. “Basketball season is a long journey and it will be exciting to see where we end up.”

According to Jeffcoat, basketball is a skill game and his players will not be able to develop or improve those skills without working on them.

“The only way to get better is to play and play and play some more,” he said. “I love getting to be around the game and I love to be around kids. These guys love to play and love to work hard and be part of this team and that is truly a joy to be around. They always tell you growing up to find career that is enjoyable for you, and I’ve found it.”