”The best potential of me is we.”

Legendary former LSU head basketball coach Dale Brown said those words Monday night at the Community Development Networking Committee (CDNC)/Johnny Jones & Dave Simmons basketball camp when giving a speech about community involvement in the DeRidder High School cafeteria.

Those on hand for Brown’s speech included former LSU and NBA basketball player Stanley Roberts, former McNeese State Cowboys and Harlem Globetrotters player Edmond Lawrence, former New York Knicks player and former DeRidder High School head basketball coach Robert L. McCoy, former LSU player and assistant coach and current University of North Texas head coach Johnny Jones, former LSU player Wayne Sims, McNeese State head basketball coach Dave Simmons and University of North Texas assistant coaches Charlie Leonard, Shawn Forrest and Bill Foy.

In Brown’s opening remarks, he said Lawrence was the best player in Louisiana when he graduated in 1972. Brown said he would have recruited Lawrence if Jones were one of the assistant coaches. Brown noted coming out of high school Lawrence was a better player than NBA great Robert Parish, who also graduated high school in 1972.

Brown then recalled his former player Shaquille O’Neal’s remarks after recently being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

According to Brown, O’Neal said this was not the first time he would play “second fiddle” as he will to Lebron James in Cleveland. Brown noted O’Neal said he did the same thing when he came to LSU as a freshman and played second fiddle to Roberts, who was a senior.

“That was not in jest,” Brown said. “That was true.”

Brown said accepted the invitation to speak because of two DeRidder natives he coached.

“Two of the nicest men I ever coached were Wayne Sims and Johnny Jones from DeRidder,” Brown said, adding he coached 44 years.

To have a successful state and country, it all comes back to one thing.

“Community involvement is imperative,” Brown said.

“Whatever affects one affects all,” Brown said quoting Dr. Martin Luther King.

“The one thing DeRidder had was pretty good doggone community spirit,” Brown said.

Brown said one could go fast when alone, but go far with others. Both in basketball and the community, Brown said a vision was required.

He said those who get do so because they give.

He said advancing takes brothers and sisters working together toward a common goal.

Brown cited another great leader former President Abraham Lincoln, who talked about trust, which would only lead to disappointment some of the time.

One night, Brown said it was 11 p.m. and his phone rang. It was O’Neal when he was with the L.A. Lakers in 2004. Also on the Lakers that year were NBA greats Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone.

Brown said O’Neal told him four of the greatest players coming together to play the game would not work.

However, Brown said when O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, he got up during his first practice and said he was not the star. O’Neal said Dwayne Wade was the star and they would have to rally around Wade like family to win a championship.

The Heat won the NBA Finals in 2006.

Brown mentioned the Boston Celtics, who have been the most successful franchise in NBA history with 17 championships.

He said the Celtics had players with different races and religions and were coached by a Jew. He noted the Boston Red Sox at one time looked to the Celtics as an example.

“They’re (Celtics) a family,” Brown said, adding they have “unity.”

Brown said unity involves devotion and dedication.

“If you have the right family unit you can win,” Brown said.

Brown urged people to get involved.

“An individual can make a difference, but a team can make a miracle,” Brown said.

Brown said one lesson he learned came from one of his dear friends and one of the top sportswriters in the country Don Yaeger.

Yaeger wrote the book Never Die Easy. Yaeger spent the last months of Walter Payton’s life with Payton to write the book. Payton was one of the all-time great running backs for the Chicago

Bears and at one time held the record for the most rushing yards in the NFL. Emmitt Smith played for the Dallas Cowboys and since broke Payton’s record.

Before dying, Brown said Payton told Yaeger, “Too many of us only take, we don’t give.”

Brown said there are four things God will never ask.

One, God will not ask what car people drove, he will instead ask how many people they gave a ride.

Two, God will not ask the square feet of one’s home, he will ask how many people were invited into the house.

Three, God will not ask what neighborhood one lived in, he will ask how people treated their neighbors.

Four, God will not ask what possessions people had, he will ask if they shared their possessions.
Brown said too many people expect others to take care of their success.

“You look for a helping hand, look at the end of your arm,” Brown said.

By people getting involved and solving problems, Brown said slavery was ended and civil and women’s rights came true.

“We must be the change we wish to see,” Brown concluded quoting Mohandas Gandhi.
Before Brown spoke, Jones had some nice words to say.

Jones played for McCoy at DeRidder. Jones joked McCoy taught him to pass because there were not enough shots to go around.

“It’s a great time for me to give back to the community, which I took so much from,” Jones said.

When Jones is asked if DeRidder is close to Lake Charles, he said, “I say, no Lake Charles is close to DeRidder.”

Jones played for Brown for four years was an assistant coach under Brown for 13 years.

“I know you’re familiar with Driving Miss Daisy. I used to drive Mr. Coach Brown,” Jones said.

Jones said he was fortunate to have his family and friends who were instrumental.

Jones said Brown won more than 448 games at LSU. Brown has the most wins in LSU history and the second most wins in SEC history.

Jones said out of 340 schools, Brown was national coach of the year twice.

“He was able to take his teams, make them play at a different level and win night in and night out,” Jones said.

Jones listened to Brown talk to his parents in his living room. This was back in 1980 when Brown recruited Jones to play at LSU.

“It was bigger than just basketball,” Jones said. “It was about family.”

Jones said Brown talked about continuing to water the plant so the players continued to nurture and grow.

Jones said Brown taught players how to win and handle losing to get better.

“I really grew as a man,” Jones said.

Jones said he owes his position as the North Texas head coach to Brown.

After Jones graduated, he said Brown told him their relationship was just about to begin.

“You’ve got to let those kids know how much you care about them,” Jones said.

Jones said Brown told him not to worry about having a winning season, but to instead concentrate on building a winning program.

Jones looked at his three assistant coaches who were present.

“Those three guys don’t work for me, they work with me,” Jones said.

Cecil Stewart, the President of CDNC, agreed about the importance of giving back and doing something for the community. He said he did not want kids to fall through the cracks and go to the wrong places.

“Kids can never get too much help, I think,” Stewart said.

Simmons, also a DeRidder native, said some words about McCoy. First he talked about giving back.

“This town has been very good to a lot of people,” Simmons said.

“Just like players, here’s a lot of people that play a part in your life for success. Coach McCoy was very instrumental in a lot of young lives.”

McCoy was the first black player from Louisiana in the NBA.

But even before integration, Simmons said McCoy was a great coach.

McCoy, who coached 50 years total, taught Simmons how to shoot the basketball.

It was the “Eagle eye dead shot,” Simmons said, but when DeRidder became the Dragons it was “Dragon eye dead shot.”

“I’m very thankful I’ve had the opportunity to be around Robert McCoy,” Simmons said.