Mile High Hoops Coaches Corner: Vince Valdez

Editor’s Note:  Mile High Hoops Reporter Zach Cohn talks basketball with Lincoln High School head coach Vince Valdez.  Valdez, a Lincoln graduate in 1992, was hired to run the program at the tender age of 23. During his stay, he has garnered back-to-back 4A state titles in 2007 and 2008.  In 5A now, Lincoln continues to play elite basketball. The Lancers are 15-4 as of Monday, and undefeated in the Denver Prep League (4-0).   

Bio:

Head Coach: Lincoln Lancers (13th year)
Coaching experience: 13 years
State Titles: 2 (2007, 2008)

The Interview:

Zach Cohn: As a former Lancer yourself, how cool is it coaching for the same high school that you graduated from?

Vince Valdez: It is very special to me because there is a sense of school pride, and that is part of the reason I came back.  I have a lot of pride in the school and I wanted to be part of resurrecting the basketball program here.

ZC: At 23, you were the youngest coach ever hired in the history of the Denver Prep League.  What was it like commanding a huddle of teenagers at such a young age?

VV: Well, I really had no idea what I was getting into.  Obviously, I was really appreciative of the faith that the high school had in me. It was special.  But I knew I had to get better as a head coach.  I knew I really didn’t know that much. And really nothing had changed. Every year I try to get better as a head coach, and I am always trying to surround myself with great basketball minds and learn from them.

ZC: Do you have a certain pride coaching inner city kids and coaching in the Denver Prep League?

VV: Absolutely. Coaching inner city student athletes presents a different set of challenges. You always root for our kids, because sometimes they are not dealt the same hands as other kids. As far as our league is concerned, we are extremely proud.  Interesting side note, if you take East, Lincoln, TJ, and even George, I think the DPS has either won or appeared in 8 state championship games in the last six years, counting 5A and 4A. It’s just tremendous. I don’t know if any other league can say that, so we are extremely proud. (Note: Coach Valdez has done his homework: East – state champions in 2004, 2007, 2008; Lincoln – state champions in 2007, 2008; Thomas Jefferson – state champions in 2005, 2006. George Washington – runner-up in 2009.)

ZC: Elaborate on how competitive the Denver Prep League is year in and year out.

VV: That’s what we love about our league. You can throw out all the non-conference records out the window. It’s a tough game night in and night out, with many games coming down to the wire. And with every win, the next game holds that much more magnitude. Once you get into conference play, it is a battle every night.

ZC: What was more difficult?  Getting to the mountaintop, when you won your first state title, or staying on the mountaintop, when you repeated as champs the next year?

VV:  I think the most difficult thing was establishing a positive culture within our program.  Setting standards, and then reaching those standards.  Standards of conduct that reach far beyond the basketball court.  And once those standards were established, the basketball part becomes a little bit easier.  Because our kids are doing the right things - in the hallways, in the community, in the classroom, all the time - that transcends onto the court.

ZC: What is your favorite part about coaching high school hoops?

VV: Honestly, it’s really the journey.  It is seeing what these young men do not only during high school, but what they do afterwards. There’s nothing more rewarding to see these young men that come back as college grads, as married, or as fathers.  Just to see what they become after high school.  Our staff always preaches to these kids that if high school basketball is the highlight of your life, than you are falling short of your potential.  If this is a catalyst to do other things in life, then we are doing our job as coaches.

ZC: Who is your favorite team to coach against and why?

VV:  The Kennedy-Lincoln rivalry has always traditionally been a great game, regardless of who is having a good season.  There is always a good crowd for that one. But in the last couple seasons, especially with Lincoln and East both winning state titles, there is a newfound, developing rivalry between East and Lincoln in basketball. And that’s nice, because it’s nice to be considered a big game against East, because East is such an established program.

ZC: What are some of the things you are trying to improve on as a team as we steamroll toward the playoffs?

VV: We are just going to sharpen and refine what we do, and we will go back and revisit what we have done.  To start out the season we set out our three pillars for the foundation of the program, and we are going to build on those pillars to make them stronger.

ZC:  So what are those three pillars coach, if you don’t mind me asking?

VV: We take a tremendous amount of pride in our defensive ball pressure, our offensive spacing, and our communication, whether that is offensive or defensive. If those three things are solid, we are usually successful.   

Quick Hitters:

ZC: Duke or North Carolina?

VV: North Carolina.

ZC: Chipotle or Qdoba?

VV: (Chuckles) I’m gonna say Qdoba, but I think I am in the minority on that one.

ZC: Man to man or zone defense?

VV: Absolutely man.

ZC: Pancakes or French toast?

VV: Pancakes, if they are blueberry.

ZC: Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul Jabbar?

VV: Kareem.

ZC: Sprite or 7-up?

VV: 7-up, I’m old school.

ZC: Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison?

VV: (More chuckles) Billy Madison, but that’s a good question.

ZC: Nike or Reebok?

VV: Nike.

ZC: NBA Finals or March Madness?

VV: March Madness.

Contact the writer at newsroom@milehighhoops.com

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