Jerry Waugh’s insight on hoops, life leaves lasting impact at FSHS

Jerry Waugh, a former KU assistant coach who played for Phog Allen, is coaching the Free State sophomore girls this season. Waugh was assistant to Coach Dick Harp.

More than 50 years ago, Jerry Waugh stood in a gym named after his college coach and taught one of the game’s giants how to play basketball.

Today, Waugh, 83, can be found in a high school gymnasium, coaching much smaller players who go by the names Tia, Regan, Amber and Taylor.

On the surface, coaching the Free State High girls C team is a far cry from coaching Wilt Chamberlain at Kansas University. But a closer look reveals that whether his pupils are 7 feet tall or just under 5 feet, the lessons Waugh teaches are the same.

“These are great kids, and I enjoy being with them,” said Waugh, whose team will play its final game of the season tonight at Lawrence High. “Young people today are no different than they were 50 or 100 years ago. They have the same needs today that they had then. They need love, and they need discipline.”

Waugh has been happy to provide both. When he agreed to coach the Firebirds this season, Waugh did so to fulfill two needs — his desire to continue coaching and help young people.

“We talk a lot about philosophy,” Waugh said. “I can ask the girls, ‘How do you win basketball games?’ And they will repeat, ‘On the mistakes of your opponent, coach.’ This was one of the things that Doc (Phog Allen) said, ‘You win on the mistakes of your opponent, not your good play.’ These are little things that you’d like for them to take away. And they’ll remember that.”

Waugh first came to KU in the spring of 1947. He grew up in Wellington and spent two years in the military before joining the Jayhawks. He started for four seasons as a guard for Allen and graduated in 1951. He returned to KU in 1957, where he served for three years as an assistant to head coach Dick Harp. Waugh tutored Chamberlain and helped lead the Jayhawks to a heartbreaking, triple-overtime loss to North Carolina in the 1957 national championship game.

Though he has stories and fresh memories that would fill a library, interestingly very few of his Free State players have heard many of them. In fact, few girls on Waugh’s team had even heard of Phog Allen until recently. And none of them knew he coached Chamberlain until being told for this article.

“That’s not really coach Waugh’s style,” Free State varsity coach Bryan Duncan said. “He’s not one to talk about what he’s done in the past. You know, we’re not here to relive his history, we’re here to help these kids get better. To him, these kids being successful is just as important as it was to have Wilt Chamberlain and those kids be successful.”

That’s why Waugh works up a detailed practice plan and coaches with high expectations. But it’s not just basketball that Waugh strives to teach. Often, the ball rack isn’t even in the gym for the first 20-30 minutes of practice. During these moments Waugh sits in a chair in front of his team — legs crossed, arms folded — and looks more the part of a grandfather telling stories to his grandchildren than a coach critiquing his team.

“We do that almost every practice,” sophomore Tia Derritt-Withers said. “He’s really funny, and he makes practice fun, but he can also lay down the rules and be tough on you. But that’s out of love.”

Waugh, who has KU women’s basketball season tickets, said he enjoys girls basketball because it reminds him more of the game he grew up playing. Movement is critical, teamwork is paramount and fundamentals — like the bounce pass and layup — still are important. That’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy the men’s game. He does. But the high-flying, fast-paced game that the men play is not something Waugh knows much about teaching. So he doesn’t.

“He’s so modest, and he’s just so nice about everything,” sophomore Regan Kahler said. “He just always wants us to be the best at what we do, and he’s always encouraging us.”

Jerry Waugh, a former KU assistant coach who played for Phog Allen, is coaching the Free State sophomore girls this season. Waugh was assistant to Coach Dick Harp.

Added junior Amber Reiff: “He knows a lot about basketball, and he kind of intertwines it with life.”

Waugh’s run with the Free State C team has been trying for many reasons. Because of low turnout and injuries, some days he has had just five or six girls to work with during a game. Because of that, he hasn’t been able to teach the game the way he’d like.

“These are kids who are there for a variety of reasons, and we’re trying to adjust to one another. We’re trying to bond,” Waugh said. “They’re trying to believe in me, that I’m not the meanest old guy in the world because I yell at them. And on the other hand, I’ve got to adjust my coaching techniques to meet their needs. Not mine.”

Waugh admits that his team, which has won three games, has not learned a lot about winning this year. But when you’ve been around as long as he has, you tend to have a greater understanding that it’s not winning and losing alone that’s important.

“I think I’ve learned a lot this year,” Derritt-Withers said. “I’ve still got a lot to go, obviously, but I think I’m a better player than I was.”

Added Kahler: “Jerry Waugh’s the greatest basketball coach ever. He’s really cool. I like him a lot, and he knows what he’s talking about. He’s a funny old man.”

Understanding the bigger picture: Waugh’s insight on hoops, life leaves lasting impact at FSHS

More than 50 years ago, Jerry Waugh stood in a gym named after his college coach and taught one of the game’s giants how to play basketball.

Today, Waugh, 83, can be found in a high school gymnasium, coaching much smaller players who go by the names Tia, Regan, Amber and Taylor.

On the surface, coaching the Free State High girls C team is a far cry from coaching Wilt Chamberlain at Kansas University. But a closer look reveals that whether his pupils are 7 feet tall or just under 5 feet, the lessons Waugh teaches are the same.

“These are great kids, and I enjoy being with them,” said Waugh, whose team will play its final game of the season tonight at Lawrence High. “Young people today are no different than they were 50 or 100 years ago. They have the same needs today that they had then. They need love, and they need discipline.”

Waugh has been happy to provide both. When he agreed to coach the Firebirds this season, Waugh did so to fulfill two needs — his desire to continue coaching and help young people.

“We talk a lot about philosophy,” Waugh said. “I can ask the girls, ‘How do you win basketball games?’ And they will repeat, ‘On the mistakes of your opponent, coach.’ This was one of the things that Doc (Phog Allen) said, ‘You win on the mistakes of your opponent, not your good play.’ These are little things that you’d like for them to take away. And they’ll remember that.”

Waugh first came to KU in the spring of 1947. He grew up in Wellington and spent two years in the military before joining the Jayhawks. He started for four seasons as a guard for Allen and graduated in 1951. He returned to KU in 1957, where he served for three years as an assistant to head coach Dick Harp. Waugh tutored Chamberlain and helped lead the Jayhawks to a heartbreaking, triple-overtime loss to North Carolina in the 1957 national championship game.

Though he has stories and fresh memories that would fill a library, interestingly very few of his Free State players have heard many of them. In fact, few girls on Waugh’s team had even heard of Phog Allen until recently. And none of them knew he coached Chamberlain until being told for this article.

“That’s not really coach Waugh’s style,” Free State varsity coach Bryan Duncan said. “He’s not one to talk about what he’s done in the past. You know, we’re not here to relive his history, we’re here to help these kids get better. To him, these kids being successful is just as important as it was to have Wilt Chamberlain and those kids be successful.”

That’s why Waugh works up a detailed practice plan and coaches with high expectations. But it’s not just basketball that Waugh strives to teach. Often, the ball rack isn’t even in the gym for the first 20-30 minutes of practice. During these moments Waugh sits in a chair in front of his team — legs crossed, arms folded — and looks more the part of a grandfather telling stories to his grandchildren than a coach critiquing his team.

“We do that almost every practice,” sophomore Tia Derritt-Withers said. “He’s really funny, and he makes practice fun, but he can also lay down the rules and be tough on you. But that’s out of love.”

Waugh, who has KU women’s basketball season tickets, said he enjoys girls basketball because it reminds him more of the game he grew up playing. Movement is critical, teamwork is paramount and fundamentals — like the bounce pass and layup — still are important. That’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy the men’s game. He does. But the high-flying, fast-paced game that the men play is not something Waugh knows much about teaching. So he doesn’t.

“He’s so modest, and he’s just so nice about everything,” sophomore Regan Kahler said. “He just always wants us to be the best at what we do, and he’s always encouraging us.”

Added junior Amber Reiff: “He knows a lot about basketball, and he kind of intertwines it with life.”

Waugh’s run with the Free State C team has been trying for many reasons. Because of low turnout and injuries, some days he has had just five or six girls to work with during a game. Because of that, he hasn’t been able to teach the game the way he’d like.

“These are kids who are there for a variety of reasons, and we’re trying to adjust to one another. We’re trying to bond,” Waugh said. “They’re trying to believe in me, that I’m not the meanest old guy in the world because I yell at them. And on the other hand, I’ve got to adjust my coaching techniques to meet their needs. Not mine.”

Waugh admits that his team, which has won three games, has not learned a lot about winning this year. But when you’ve been around as long as he has, you tend to have a greater understanding that it’s not winning and losing alone that’s important.

“I think I’ve learned a lot this year,” Derritt-Withers said. “I’ve still got a lot to go, obviously, but I think I’m a better player than I was.”

Added Kahler: “Jerry Waugh’s the greatest basketball coach ever. He’s really cool. I like him a lot, and he knows what he’s talking about. He’s a funny old man.”