Ellwood Christian boys basketball head coach Darrell Walker searched for answers after his Eagles team dropped its second game of the season to R.C. Hatch Saturday. He was disappointed Ellwood couldn’t capitalize on a big win Friday night, but he had to give credit to the man coaching on the other side of scorer’s table.

“We played against a great team with a legendary coach,” Walker said.

R.C. Hatch boys basketball head coach Homer Davis has coached two games against Walker, but he has spent much more time coaching Walker, on and off the court. Walker admits he learned a great deal of what he knows about coaching from Davis, and he holds all that Davis has accomplished as a coach in high regard.

“He wins championships, and everybody is trying to win a championship,” Walker said.

Davis is a coaching veteran. He’s been a basketball coach for 38 years, many of which were spent coaching in the Selma area. He’s won state titles with the R.C. Hatch boys and girls teams.

As the head coach of the Selma University basketball team when Walker was a player at Selma High, Davis took Walker under his wing. He was a mentor for Walker, inviting him to the Selma University gym to practice and teaching him how to be a better player and a better man.

For Davis, the relationship extended further than coach and player.

“He’s like a son of mine,” Davis said. “To see him do good and get his degree and then how he ended up making an impact on his life, I’m very proud of him, seeing him be the father that he is.”

Walker said after the loss to R.C. Hatch Saturday that Davis’ team is what Walker is modeling his team after. In Davis’ players, Walker sees a well-behaved, well-disciplined group of young men, much like the one Walker became with the help of Davis.

Davis said he taught Walker how to be disciplined when he was in high school, and when Walker became a coach, Davis made sure Walker preached the same message to his players.

“You’ve got to have discipline,” Davis said he told Walker. “It’s not about the individual players. It’s about the team.”

Davis has taught Walker to get to know the kids, and to be there for them if they need anything. Walker said he’s also been taught to never be satisfied. He sees Davis continue to pursue championships even after he’s won four at R.C. Hatch, and it gives Walker the motivation to try to make the Ellwood basketball program the best it can be.

Walker doesn’t have the state championship ring on his finger yet, but just like Davis believed in Walker’s potential for success when he was in high school, he is sure that Walker will continue to achieve success as a head coach.

“I see him going a long ways as a coach because he’s dedicated and he’s committed and he’s a hard worker,” Davis said.