After 16 years as the assistant, Michael Parker has made it to the top.
The Johnson grad and Lumpkin assistant will assume the role of Lumpkin County's next head boys basketball coach. The school made it official after the board of education approval this week.
It's the culmination of a long journey to the top of his profession -- one that has had its ups and downs.
"One side is a sense of relief, but the other side is heavy shoulders because there's a lot of expectations," he said. "It's been a long journey. I've had disappointments along the way to get to this moment. Sometimes you don't get what you feel like you deserve or worked for and you can either let that define you or you can pick up your mat and keep going. I'm glad I kept going."
Jeff Steele's retirement at the end of this season essentially gave Parker a clear path to the top spot on the sidelines.
"You know, paying your dues over the years and now getting this opportunity is obviously exciting," he said. "I'm not going to say it's not going to be different, because as an assistant your name is not in the paper, and you're not the one getting asked the tough questions. Now I am."
Parker's coaching career started at Johnson High School in Oakwood, under then-head coach Steele in 2003. He coached alongside his mentor for 11 seasons. He then took a season off in 2014 and returned to coaching at Grayson as an assistant. A year later, he accepted a position on Chad Pittman's staff at Dawson County.
And after he was overlooked for the head coaching position in Dawsonville at the end of the 2019 season, Parker found his way back to Steele's coaching staff in the Gold City.
"I'll be honest, last year when I didn't get the Dawson job and another job I applied for, I almost stopped," he said. "Milt Travis called me out of the blue and encouraged me to keep going. That's what the basketball fraternity and these basketball coaches are about. The amount of support I've gotten the last 24 hours has been tremendous."
Now the work begins and Parker will have his hands full. Lumpkin County struggled last season, finishing 8-17. But injuries played a factor in the dismal record.
"Last season was a challenge," he said. "But it was one of my most rewarding as an assistant even though we only won eight games. The way our kids competed through adversity and never made an excuse. They just showed up and worked."
They'll lose five to graduation but returns a solid nucleus of players to set the pace for the 2020-21 campaign.
Gus Faulkner returns as well as Brian Cunane and Chandler Pulley to form a core of guys to mentor the younger classes.
"Those three seniors coming gives us a good foundation," Parker said. "We're going to be really young behind them. For us, it's a mixed bag. We've got some guys that we're going to lean on for senior leadership and some young guys that will be thrown into the fire early.
'I'M GOING TO BE ME'
Although Parker has coached under Steele for the majority of his career, he says they are very different people.
"It won't necessarily be the same," he said. "Jeff and I are very different. We have a lot of similarities in the way we think in a game, but we're different people and have different tact going about things.
He also credits former bosses Geoffrey Pierce (Grayson) and former Dawson County coach Chad Pittman with his development as a coach.
"I've been fortunate to learn under three really good guys," he said. "Coach Steele, obviously what he's done at Johnson and Lumpkin speaks for itself. Then Coach Pierce at Grayson, even though I was there a year, we still talk. And obviously Coach Pittman, again who's also completely different.
So I've learned from three different guys who are all different and have different styles and philosophies. At the end of the day, you take a little bit from those guys and you put it all into what you believe. But at the end of the day, you've got to be me. I'm not going to try to be anybody but me."
EXPECTATIONS
"I think sometimes when we look at expectations and the first thing we want to do is set win total expectations," Parker said. "I don't think that is necessarily fair to high school kids. I'm about trying to mold boys into young men with basketball. Now, with that, I obviously want to win. I want to compete.
I truly believe in the future and the potential of Lumpkin County basketball. Our community is hungry for a consistent winner, and I believe these kids can make that happen. We are embracing the challenge and I am looking forward to seeing my guys thrive.”
THE COVID-19 EFFECT
It's an effect no one saw coming. Every school system across the state has been shuttered for the rest of the current school year due to the spread of COVID-19. There's no definitive date set for the athletes to return which means the month of June -- the developmental month for basketball programs -- is also in jeopardy.
It also puts the first-year head coach behind the 8-ball, but he's ready for the challenge.
"Obviously, that first summer is crucial especially for instilling kind of what we want to do as a program," he said. "The things that we expect out of our kids, earning their trust and their buy-in. But if that can't happen, it can't be an excuse. June is valuable for everybody. I don't want to use it as an excuse, but it's definitely going to be a challenge for us.
Especially for the upcoming freshman and sophomores that haven't seen any varsity time, summer is a great time to get them varsity minutes. So that's going to huge for their development. It's going to put us, for sure, behind the 8-ball. But it is what it is."
