This week's interview is with the head coach of FAU Men's basketball, Mike Jarvis. Now I have to be honest, this one is personal to me. I played for Coach Jarvis for 3 years, as you can see in the picture below. His impact is much, much more than just on the court. He helps nurture young men, and helps them grow into successful adults. He stresses an importance on winning in life, not just on the basketball court. In our sit down with Coach, he touches on his beginnings as a coach, his thoughts on family and fatherhood, how his son helped put Matt Damon on his path to acting, and who his favorite player he ever coached ( *cough* ahem), and what he focuses on when recruiting.
My senior year team picture
What made you decide to move to Boca Raton?
(Laughs) Well like most married guys most decisions are made for them by their wife. So first of all my wife and I decided it was time for us to move from New York after we were through coaching at St. Johns. We had lived in New York for maybe another 6 months and we said 'You know what, let's get out of this crazy place, let's go someplace warm'. And I said to my wife 'where would you life to live' and through process of elimination my wife said we should come to Florida. Now, we had never spent any time in Florida, so it was really just on faith I guess, and we moved to Florida.
What are the most important things to remember when you have a family?
Well first of all, the first thing you have to remember when you have a child, you realize what a spiritual experience that is. The first thing is to be grateful, to the mighty God we serve, that you can even have a child. And to have a child that is healthy without any complications is really blessing. So the first thing is to think about how blessed you are, that you're now going to have an opportunity to try and make this world a better place by hopefully being a part of helping to develop and nurture another great human being and a really good American citizen.
What are some of the most important things to think about before getting married?
Well first of all it would be nice if, before we got married, we realized what a sacred event that was. That basically was put into place by God himself and that it really is one of the most special things that anybody could be blessed with. We need help, all of us do. God knew that man needed a help-mate and provided woman, and vice versa. And that is the first thing that you realize, that God has provided someone to help us. Maybe that is someone to help us fulfill our dreams, or just have a better life. So going into marriage you have to realize it is a full time commitment.It's not a 'let's see how it works out' kind of thing. I think you gotta go in with the idea that when you join you are trying to make it work. And I think when you get married you realize how much work it actually takes, and that is not easy, but it is worth it.
What is the most difficult thing, in your opinion, about being a father? Especially for you, who a lot of us who have played for you look to as a father figure.
I think the most difficult thing is the amount of responsibility that you have over your head. You start to realize you are a role model. You start to realize this little person, or these big people as the case may be (laughs), are looking at you and they're trying to figure things out. What to do and a lot of times they do what they see. And when you mess up you go home and start to say 'boy i wish i had done that differently' or 'i wish i hadn't said it that way' and the next day you try to do it a little bit better. So it's difficult to do the most important thing which is doing the right thing so other people to see it. And it is more important for them to see what you're doing than it is for them to hear you tell them what they should be doing.
Now the opposite end of that question, what is your favorite thing about being a father?
My favorite thing about being a father is being able to share so many wonderful and beautiful things with another young human being. Whether it's your son or your daughter, being able to grab their hand and take a walk. Or teach them how to catch and throw a baseball or a basketball. Just to see them be so full of life and be so happy. To watch them as little children play and just be happy brings joy and happiness to your own heart.
Next is the same question but in regards to being a grandfather.
Well they say grandfathers and grandmothers have the best job of all because they can love their grandchildren and spoil them, then send them home. And that's true I think to a great extent, but I also think there is more to it than that. You're still parenting your own kids. You're still trying to teach them how to be the best parents they can be. And at the same time, for me personally, I still think that I have a responsibility to make sure that my grandchildren understand what faith is, who God is, and in my case as a Christian, who Jesus Christ is. And at the same time spoil them, but in a positive way, and not in such a way that they think they are entitled to anything and that not everything is just going to be given to them. Teach them what work us but at the same time have a lot of fun.
What do you do in your down time? When you are away from the office, away from practice, and you just take some time to unwind.
Alright now this next one is one that was requested by someone in the office. Apparently there is a story that you tell about Deuce and Matt Damon?
(Laughs) Well you know it's funny how God works. We don't even know things that happen sometimes. One of my favorite pictures I have of Mike is when he's in his Little League uniform. Mike was a very good little baseball player and pitcher in the Little League and also a very good hitter. So his last game as a pitcher in Little League was in an All-Star game in Cambridge and he's doing a real good job and also doing a good job at the plate. And his last at bat was a home run. A friend found the baseball and brought it back to us as a souvenir. So we wrote the date on it which was September 13, 1981. We also put on it "Mike's last at bat" and we put it in the trophy case. So every time we moved whether it was from Cambridge to DC to New York, that ball went with us. And years later we were at St. Johns getting ready for a game on a Saturday afternoon and I get a call the previous night from a friend of mine who says 'I have someone I want to put on the phone and talk to you', and that someone he wanted to put on the phone happened to be one of my former students and Cambridge guy, Matt Damon. So Matt gets on the phone and he says "hey coach, I've been following you and Deuce and I'm really proud of you guys as Cambridge guys. And he says I want to tell you a story about when I was a little kid and I was a pitcher. And my dad thought someday I could pitch for the Red Sox. Well my last game I ever pitched in was in the Little League All-Star game. So I'm pitching and this kid hits this monstrous home run off me." And it happened to be Mike. So he says "when got home my dad says 'you know maybe baseball's not your game' and it wasn't long thereafter that I got into acting". So you know I like to hope that maybe, Mike had a little bit to do with Matt Damon's success as an actor. I still have that baseball and someday I would like to flip that to Matt and say 'hey take a look at this'.
Coach Jarvis and Associate Head Coach Mike "Deuce" Jarvis
Okay now moving into a few more basketball related questions, what is your general philosophy on coaching?
Well you know, my philosophy on question is to take a group of, as we all are, let's face it selfish people. I mean let's face it we're all born selfish. You know it's always about me, myself, and I. So I'm trying, as a coach, to do almost a miracle and take 12 guys that are basically selfish as we all are, and make a team out of them. So that's the challenge and that's what you try to do. And when that happens, when you get a group of guys that can do that and come together as a family and come together as a team. And they give of themselves and they put it all into what the group does collectively, that is probably the greatest thing that can happen as a coach. Just like it would as a dad or a mom raising a family. To really have it be about the family and not the individual.
What made you want to get into coaching?
Well I went into coaching because I was taught by my mom to try to find a profession that I loved. And to try to find a job that I could really look forward to going to every day.And I try to pass that on to my players. Find a job doing something that you really love to do and have a passion for. So I went into coaching because of my love for sport. And I went particularly into coaching particularly basketball at my old high school because I wanted to go back and do something that hadn't been done before. In Cambridge, Massachusetts there were great basketball teams, great basketball players, but very few kids that every went to college. So when I went back to my high school my goal was to try to help every kid that I could go to college. And during my time as the coach in high school every kid that I coached except for two went onto institutes of higher learning. And those two guys became a fireman in Cambridge and the other a policeman so they both had great job. So you know basically mission accomplished .So basically I wanted to give back and i wanted to give back to the place that I grew up in and try to make a difference.
How did you get your start in coaching?
When I left college, I graduated from Northeastern University with my undergraduate degree, I was able to get a teaching job at my old high school, but I couldn't get a coaching job there because it was already filled. Those jobs only opened up every couple of years. But my college coach, God bless him, hired me as his assistant. So when I wasn't teaching I was coaching at Northeastern University. So I would teach during the day or even coach football or baseball right after school. Then I would take my little Volkswagen over to Northeastern and coach the freshman or subvarsity team and then assist with the varsity team.So it was a long day basically starting about 7 in the morning and end about 10 at night, but i loved every second of it. So I got my start thanks to my former college coach, Dick Dukeshire.
Why did you pursue, or want, the FAU head coach position?
You know when we moved to Florida, my wife and I, I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to coach again. Had a little bit of a bitter taste and more importantly my wife was still feeling the effects of my coaching in New York and the way things ended up there. So I think when I came here I was going to work with ESPN and I started going to work with them in the studio and it just wasn't for me. I would prepare all day for a few minutes on television. Soundbites you know. I just never felt fulfilled. So about the fourth year living in Boca, the job opened up at FAU. So I talked to Craig Angelos who was the AD at the time, and thanks to, primarily, the members of my church and the members of my bible study, they put a tremendous amount of pressure on the powers that be at FAU. Made calls. Went and sat in the presidents office. Called the governor. You name it they did it. And eventually I was hired for the head job here at FAU. So I really believe that God brought me to Boca first and got my wife feeling good again about me coaching and to prepare me for the job that would eventually come.
What is your favorite aspect of being the head coach at FAU?
My favorite aspect of working here is that every morning I wake up and get to come to work with my son. My son Mike and I have been together obviously for 44 years. He started out as my batboy at the age of 3. he was my ball boy at 9 with our championship high school teams. He was my assistant coach when he graduated from Boston University where he also played for me. He's my best friend. So I get to work with my best friend and see my son everyday. That is probably the greatest accomplishment that any man could have. To have his son actually want to work with him. No matter how bad things things, he's always going to be with me. Back in 1993 when he graduated from BU he and I were the first African American father-son coaching tandem in the history of division 1 basketball. We've also been the longest running father-son team in the history of division 1 basketball of any color. So I'm very, very proud of that and I can't wait for the day to come when he is where he is where he deserves to be, which is as a division 1 head basketball coach.
The longest running father-son duo in division 1 history, still having fun
When you are out recruiting, what in particular are you looking for? What are trying to add?
Well what I'm looking for, Brett, is the right pieces to fight the puzzle. And you don't always do that. And we have made some good choices. Brett Royster was here before we came and if he wasn't I would have recruited him because he won us a lot of games and is a great guy. And that is what I'm looking for; great character guys who are going to come in every day to work, that are going to work as hard as they can, and give whatever special talent that God gave them to the team. You had the talent of blocking shots and making it very difficult for the defense to score and you helped us win a championship. The first championship in FAU basketball history. And we haven't been the same since you left because we haven't found anyone to replace you. So I'm looking for a guy that can be the next Brett Royster. In addition to that I'm looking for players that can fill other holes and roles within the team because it takes that. It takes a village, the whole group doing whatever little thing they can do to add to the team. So I'm looking for the right kinds of pieces. But what I'm looking for is guys with character. And I'm looking for guys that not only want to play ball, I'm also looking for guys that also are looking to get something out of life, that want to get a degree, and that someday want to be good dads. That's what I'm looking for
At any point in your coaching career, we know you have coached at a lot of places in college, but have you ever considered moving to NBA coaching?
At one time I was offered a couple opportunities as a hot young coach, a rising star so to speak in the coaching business. There was a time when any job would open up, college or pro, my name was mentioned for it. Michael Jordan offered me the Wizards job back when I had just started with St. Johns. But I had just started so I didn't want to leave St. Johns and I'm glad I didn't because if I did, I don't know where my path would have taken me, and it wouldn't have taken me where I am today. The most significant thing that happened to me here today was my walk with Jesus and my spiritual life. I don't know if that would have happened if all the other things in my life hadn't happened. The Wizards was the closest that I came to actually going to the NBA. And I have no regrets about not taking it. So people say I probably should have taken it. Most guys that go to the NBA aren't there very long. So I could have gone, made a lot of money, and gone back to college. But I followed my heart and my heart said that I was a teacher and a coach and I belonged on the college level so I stayed.
Most rewarding part of being a coach?
The most rewarding aspect of being a coach is when you go home at night, and think 'the kids are getting it'. They're getting what it means to come together as a team, what it means to put in the work to be a championship team, and you see improvement. You see guys growing. You see guys grow up and graduate and move on and ultimately have great families. One of the things that has been very rewarding for my wife and I, is when we look in, she has a Facebook page she checks into daily, and we see so many of the former players post not just sports things, but also things about their families and to see how much these guys have grown. Seeing your players growing into men, real men, who have families, that to me is what it is all about.
And the last question is, who is your favorite player that you have ever coached ?
(Laughs) Well other than you Brett, there are a few, but the one that jumps out the most would be Patrick Ewing. Patrick was a kid that I got to be the primary person in teaching him how to play. I had the opportunity to coach him in high school where we won nothing but championships. He was the best and hardest working player I ever coached, and one of the best players of all time. And for me to have the opportunity to coach one of the best players of all time was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If I had never coached another kid I would have been alright but God has sent me more than my fair share of great players. But he's the one. He was the first great, great player I ever coached.
One last thing, is there anything you would like our readers to know or that you want to leave them with?
Well the thing I guess I would like to leave the readers with is, whoever reads this story, is to realize that they have a story. And that their story needs to be shared too. Whether that is with their families or friends. And I think that many times we don't share our story. People can grow and learn from our experiences. So I would like everyone to know that you have a story. You have some incredible things that have happened to you in life. And to find ways to share them people. And most importantly enjoy life.
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