I had the opportunity to discuss a little Red Devil basketball with Coach Kidwell this week. Merle is definately a great basketball mind and I expect him to have the Russell basketball program on top of the 16th Region in the near future.

 

Coach Kidwell, first let me say that it was great to see you pick up a huge win in the first round of district play. Coach, you're one of the 16th Region's most well respected coaches. You have a great reputation of implementing strong fundamentals, tough defense and getting the most out of your teams. You came into a situation where you took over a very young team and that can be a difficult environment for a new coach to step into. Did you meet any challenges in implementing your coaching philosophy when you took over the Russell program? If so, what were some of the bigger issues you had to overcome in getting the team headed in the right direction?

 

The main thing we wanted to emphasize to our players was being accountable on and off the court. I really feel the players now understand that. We really had to get the kids to believe they could be competitive on a nightly basis. Though we have only won five games we have been competitive in the majority of our games and we have tried to play an exciting style of basketball...

 

Check out the full interview on my blog:

 

http://allkyhoops.blogspot.com/

Looks good Wireman. Thanks!

Great interview. Coach Kidwell is a great coach and a class act. He will have the Red Devils contending for a regional championship in the near future.

Great interview. Coach Kidwell is a great coach and a class act. He will have the Red Devils contending for a regional championship in the near future.

 

I agree 100%. They are loaded with young talent and he is a great coach. I expect big things out of Russell in the near future :thumb:

 

BTW, the site is getting ready to be updated pretty heavily. Here is the direct link to the interview:

 

http://allkyhoops.blogspot.com/2009/03/interview-with-coach-merle-kidwell-of.html