Speaker 1 00:00:11 Hello and welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Soro of Wichita State University's strategic communications. We're gonna talk women's basketball today. Our guest is Antoine Scales. He is an assistant coach hired by Terry Nener in April. Antoine spent the past three seasons as head coach at Garden City Community College. Wichita basketball fans will no doubt remember him as the girls coach at South High School. He won four straight class six a titles there from 2013 to 2016. Antoine, tell us about coming back to Wichita. What made you want to come back and be a part of this staff?
Speaker 2 00:00:45 It's just great, great to be back home with a great staff as assembled, of course, with Coach Noner, you know, having to trust and the, the confidence to say, Hey, I need someone that's gonna come here and, and really get it done As far as recruitment, it was a just a dream come true job for me.
Speaker 1 00:01:00 So you've spent time now at high school, you've spent time in junior college. How have those experiences helped shape your, your, your coaching as now you start in division one?
Speaker 2 00:01:10 That's great because, you know, if I probably would've did it the other way, I probably wouldn't understood the business side of things, but just really been able to transition from each level moving up from, even from Wichita in general, starting out with Salvation Army and bi basketball to coaching at Brooks Middle School, and then turning around and getting a job at Wichita South High School to then finding the, uh, the collegiate aspects of going to Kobe Community College, taking me all the way to Western Kansas away from probably pretty much everything. It's the last stop as far as civilization is concerned, and then ultimately ended up being at Garden City Community College and now here at Wichita State is just climbing up the ladder. Uh, it's been a long journey, but it's a great one in the process. So
Speaker 1 00:01:52 Take us back to young Antoine Scales. When did you decide coaching? That's what I want to do.
Speaker 2 00:01:58 Uh, honestly, I had a, it's a funny story that my daughter played for a team. Um, my, my, my oldest daughter, Kayla, she's 28, and she played for a team, um, that, you know, I had kind of critiqued some things, being that I was coached about. Some great coaches coming up in my, in my career, uh, especially basketball was, uh, I told him if to coach a couple of pointers and he said, well, you think you could do a better job? Why don't you do it? So honestly, in the CED aspect of it, that's how I kind of got into coaching and I didn't really coach my older daughter end up coaching my middle daughter Mari. And so I started to wich star Dream team organization and um, from that point it just kind of took off for me as far as coaching.
Speaker 1 00:02:38 So most people when they hear that, they go, oh, all right, well, yeah, maybe I will, I'll back off a little bit, but you decided instead I'm gonna, I'm gonna coach and I'm gonna show 'em that I can do it.
Speaker 2 00:02:46 Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 00:02:47 Interesting. You mentioned, uh, coaching influences. You played for some of the absolute city league, uh, legends, Steve Beckett, south High, gust Dody at Heights High. Joe Ara was on his staff. Then how did those experiences shape your coaching?
Speaker 2 00:03:01 Um, great from the aspect of that, I think from the people perspective, coach Dowdy brought a lot of influence. So at, he used to have a thing called Words of Wisdom right before we would actually practice. So he would always give us more intellectual stuff about life and just Coach Jack just in general, me and him still talk to this day. But Coach just was a fundamental scout to the fullest. A lot of stuff that I implement as far as my coaching career was a lot of stuff that I got from Coach Jack, uh, you know, just the late Ronnie Allen, coach Allen, it was at Woodall East and, and, you know, coming up as far as being a mentor in our community and then, you know, just being involved with kids and always just speaking positivity into you. And then, you know, late coach Carl Taylor as well, as far as the accountability on discipline and academics, uh, all those great coaches molded, this shaped my life. And when, then when you co countered off with Coach Coleman, you know, Marvin Coleman with the, the discipline aspect of things. So it's a lot of fundamental coaches in molding to saved my life, but those are some of the ones that stand out.
Speaker 1 00:04:02 So you rattled off a lot of great city league names. Uh, what's your favorite memory of playing basketball in, in the city league? Is there a gym, a big game, something that that pops out at you?
Speaker 2 00:04:13 Uh, not really in the, in the, in the aspect of, you know, south back then. We were a, a, a great team that had a, a ton of great players. I wasn't obviously one of the, the great players. I was a role player at that point in time. My, my love and passion was football, but I played basketball to stay in shape. So I just had the luxury of being able to get some of that knowledge and understanding from a great coach in the sense of being part of a great team.
Speaker 1 00:04:35 So growing up in Wichita coaching girls basketball in Wichita, you may have a perspective on Wichita State women's basketball that the other coaches on that staff don't. Uh, is there a particular pride in coming back and trying to get this program up and running at a, at a really high level for a Wichita?
Speaker 2 00:04:53 Yeah, one of the things that even when I, I had AAU kids coming up was the aspect of making sure that we don't, we don't leave no stones unturned as far as local talent, that was something that was huge for me. I've always grown up being a Wichita State fan, even back when they had football here and, you know, just running on campus or riding our bikes on campus. I've just always been ingrained in Wichita State athletics. And so it, it was great to truly come back home, but making sure that we, not to discredit any coach in the past, but just want to make sure that we are every kid that could potentially be a part of Wichita State Women's Basketball. We want to make sure that they know they have an option and an opportunity to come here and truly play.
Speaker 1 00:05:34 So that leads us perfectly into discussing treasure job. She is a south high kid that you coached there. She's transferred to Wichita State from Emporia State. Uh, give the fans a, a a, a breakdown on her game. What are they gonna see from her this season?
Speaker 2 00:05:48 Just a re relentless competitor on and off the court. Great academic student, but I mean, on that court, she's gonna be the first one to get to the gym and probably the last one to leave. I mean, she is just ingrained in being the best she can be. She's hard on herself. She's the biggest critic, um, is her, is herself. She's gonna make sure she does everything to be great. And just coaching her ever since she was, you know, four years old with that wood star dream team, you know, basketball organization, um, to where she is now is just a dream come true. Not only for for her, but for me as well, to get an opportunity to coach her back. She's, she's just always been a part of my life as far as my family's concerned. She's actually my cousin in a sense too as well. So, I mean, that's just great that still have her a part of sense of family is what Coach Nuner is gonna implement with this, this staff and with this, this run is how important family is the basketball family about life and, and, and everything that comes up with that is in, in general.
Speaker 1 00:06:46 So the shockers are into their second week of, of summer workouts. Uh, what's the message that the coaching staff is getting across to this group at this early point?
Speaker 2 00:06:56 Their hard work pays off. Um, and just attention to detail. A lot of things in practice going on here early as a Coach Nuner, setting the presidents as far as we're not gonna cut the corners on anything. You're gonna do everything right and correct every aspect of the way, but also to that love and support that he's given the young, the, the young ladies as well too, as far as the caring aspect. Um, you know, we all come from, from different backgrounds and different perspectives, but cohesive cohesively, making it work. He does a great job of making sure it's all inclusive.
Speaker 1 00:07:24 So I understand the shockers did a little team building recently. They went bowling. Who's the best bowler on this, on this basketball team?
Speaker 2 00:07:32 Well, uh, in my mind I feel it's me, <laugh>, but in my heart, I know it's not me. The girls are teasing me. My bowling game was terrible, but I know we, we found this out and, and, and, and I don't know if coach, coach Nener and Coach Bradford, but Coach Nener, he got lessons bowling as a child. And I said, well, that's an advantage nobody else has here. So I can make an excuse for why I hit a gutter ball. But for him, he has no margin for error. But he, him and Coach Bradford are obviously great bolders. They do a good job. But you know, our team is very competitive in general as well. So even in sense of me losing, I'm still gonna say I won.
Speaker 1 00:08:09 So we hear a lot about teams that will do those, those type of things. Maybe it's top golf or bowling or a, uh, what do they call those hideaway rooms, escape rooms. How do they help? What's the importance of, of those kind of activities away from basketball? Just
Speaker 2 00:08:24 What, cause Nore requires this, just put your phones away. This is the intimate time for us just to be together and get to know each other. You know, you fight a little bit harder when you know who you fighting for. And so it's important for us to really get that team chemistry and that bond going with each other to know, you know, every time, every time that we say a break, it's, we end with sisters. And so that's important that he's breeding that, that family atmosphere and environment of just really truly knowing and trusting each other. And that's, that's, that's gonna be huge for us moving forward, especially as the season goes on.
Speaker 1 00:08:56 Do you have a, a picture or a trophy, a plaque, something in your office that when you walk in you it's particularly significant to you and your journey? Or maybe it's something that you make sure to point out to a recruit in their families or something in your office that, that you would point to as, as particularly important?
Speaker 2 00:09:15 Um, for me, honestly, I, I don't, it's not really typ typically hanging in my, in my office, but it is the footprints, you know, the, the, the, the footprints for, you know, I'm very religious in the aspects of knowing that, you know, then through all the aspects of things, when, you know, when they, they say, well, you look back and say, well, when I went through all these trials and tribulations, and he says, well, throughout those things, you only seen one set of footprints because I carried you. And that's, that's, that's big to me. That's huge. Not only it's a reminder of where I've came from to where I am now. I, I mean, I still pinch myself. I get goosebumps when I walk in the building because it's still surreal to me to know that I'm home and to a place that I've really admired for a long period of time and had my eye on. To really truly be back here is again, coach Nener. May my dream come true in the sense of that.
Speaker 1 00:10:00 So as you have introduced, uh, Brooke Costley and Terry Nener and Nick Bradford to Wichita, is there a, is there a restaurant you've said you gotta go try this? Anything like that that you've tried to help with their transition?
Speaker 2 00:10:14 Well, and honestly, my daughter, she's a manager on the team now. I was kind of, you know, I'm a, I love crab legs and so she told us about the Blue Hook and we actually ended up going there and everyone of everyone on our staff loved it. And so that'd be a, a prominent spot for me moving forward is making sure that I get over there to the Blue Hook Seafood restaurant. It's a great, great atmosphere, great environment. I was over there. They had a, a guy that was live playing a guitar and singing. It was really a mellow, intimate moment, but it was really nice in a sense. But that'd be something that I would recommend for anyone.
Speaker 1 00:10:46 Okay. The Blue Hook, where is that?
Speaker 2 00:10:48 Uh, I think it's off of Web bro, 21st and Webb. Okay. But it's good, good restaurant, good environment, great food,
Speaker 1 00:10:55 Good recommendation. Very good. Is there a basketball player out there? Maybe it's a W N b A player, maybe it's an NBA player that you like to recommend to your player. Send them video clips or tell 'em to get on YouTube and say, Hey, you can, you can learn something from watching this person play basketball.
Speaker 2 00:11:11 Um, not here. The crazy stories, when I was at South High School, um, Lynette Woodard, uh, the great Ette Woodard, she would come into our practices and none of our kids knew who she was. And so when I asked the kids did they know who she was, n not many hands went up. And then I felt it was kind of an embarrassment moment for, for me in general. Cause I'm like, Hey, she's a legend. She's the great, and you guys are involved in, in women's basketball, you don't know who she is. And so I made all our kids do a book report on her, and so they all had to come back and tell me who she was, but if I could say anyone, it would be someone like her to emulate their, their, their game. I mean, she, she's phenomenal on the basketball court, but she's a great ambassador for women's basketball. So that's, if I could tell anybody to, to make sure they were patterned, it would be someone like Lynette Woodard,
Speaker 1 00:11:57 Lynette Woodard, of course, the Wichita, uh, great player at North High, went to the University of Kansas, uh, played professionally, played for the Harlem Globe Schroder. So she would definitely be regarded in the, uh, whatever the upper level of Wichita athletes with Barry Sanders and Jim Ryan and Lynette Woodard would be right in that, right in that group too. That's a good, that's a good book project. Antoine, when you're not coaching, when you need to get away from the video and the recruiting, have hobbies, what do you, what do you do?
Speaker 2 00:12:24 Well, my, I'll be honestly, is I build old cars. Um, that's something that I have a passion for. That's what I love. And I deal with only like 55 to 72, 19 55 and 1972 Chevrolet. That's, that's the, the, the vehicles that I build. Um, I've managed to throw some trucks in and out of that aspect of that, but those are the, that's my passion. When I get away from basketball, like I said, I don't drink, I don't smoke. I'm, I'm just kind of a homebody person, but that's something that I would rather do is I would do nothing but work on cars.
Speaker 1 00:12:53 And how did you get into that hobby?
Speaker 2 00:12:54 Um, just with my uncle. My uncle Larry Carter started, me and my cousin out early on trying to just tinker and fix. I was the type of kid that always wanted to take something apart just to see how it worked. I was very inquisitive and in ingenuitive in that aspect. So being able to, to see how things operate was always big for me and just kind of took on the mind of his own and just got into vehicles. Now I don't, when I say I build 'em, I, I, I subcontract out the work from body work and things of that nature, but from the engine, from everything in perspective, I try to put 'em in the, the original status when they were produced. And that's been a huge release for me is for the getaway from everything. That's what you see my weekend time spent. If I'm out, if I'm on the go, it's probably, if I'm in another state, it's probably going to a salvage yard and seeing what can I rebuild. That's been the main goal for me as far as my career, as far as rebuilding programs. And so that also takes him out of his own as far as rebuilding the, the cars and getting them back to the original state.
Speaker 1 00:13:50 Do you have a Chevrolet that you're particularly proud of? What's your, what's your best accomplishment doing a rebuild?
Speaker 2 00:13:55 Well, right now it's my, it's the 68 ch convertible that I have. I mean, that's a very sought after car. Um, and that's pretty much one of the original muscle cars in the sense. And so for me, it, it is big time. It's a, it's a lot of work involved with it, but the reward is being able to let that convertible top down and drive on a great day where the weather's just amicably and the correct perspective it could be in. That's, that's a, that's a great feeling to just, to be out and driving.
Speaker 1 00:14:23 Interesting. Have you talked with volleyball coach Chris Lamb? I think he does a lot of this kind of tinkering stuff too. You might, you might have something in common there with, uh, with Chris. Uh, let's wrap it up with a, do you have a book recommendation? Do you have a movie recommendation? What would you, what would you tell the people to check out? Um,
Speaker 2 00:14:40 I don't know if I really have a book or, or a movie recommendation. Um, you know, honestly, I'm a, it, it is kind of a, a sentimental moment, but I'm more one of those, those hopeless romantic type of guys. The Titanic is really a good movie for me. So, you know, I really don't have anything in that regard. I hope they don't judge me as being soft from after hearing this podcast. But, you know, that's one of the, a good movie that really stands out for me. That
Speaker 1 00:15:04 Would be Anne Lynette Woodard. That would be your other recommendation is, is, is, uh, brush up on the history of, of one of Wichita's greats. All right. Antoine Scales is, uh, women's basketball Assistant Coach Antoine, thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 00:15:15 Thank you for having,
Speaker 3 00:15:29 Hi. This is Rick Yuma, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. Each episode, I sit down with different guests from Chacar Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts,
Speaker 4 00:15:58 Great insight as always. Thanks for listening to the Roundhouse podcast. Courtesy of Wichita State University strategic communications. We encourage you to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can always find more roundhouse
[email protected]. And
Speaker 5 00:16:15 They let him pass it up court, and then he gets ticked off along three by Pango Snow. Good. One second. It's over. It is over. And Wichita State has beaten the number one team in the nation to go to the Sweet 16. Go crazy with Utah. I know
Speaker 0 00:16:31 You are.
