By Thomas Sellers Jr.
One of the best Millington Lady Trojan Basketball players ever wants some company on that list. Millington Basketball Great LaTesa McLaughlin recently made her coaching debut a couple of weeks ago on the sideline of the Millington Middle School Lady Stallions. Last Thursday night McLaughlin recorded her first coaching victory 39-6 over the Lakeland Lady Lions in the MMS Gymnasium using her trademark defense to create offense. That victory improved the developing Lady Stallions to 1-4 on the season. Although her first victory was sweet, McLaughlin was focused on the next step forward her players and program took. “Attention to details and fundamentals,” McLaughlin said.. “Before we can really do anything with basketball in the middle school level, you have to teach them about basketball — the fundamentals. If they don’t know anything about fundamentals, we’re going to run around like chickens with our heads cut off. “Slowing everything down for them and teaching spots, teaching positions and teaching areas, it is really important to pay attention to details,” she continued. “I’m teaching them why it is important to be in your spot. I’m really teaching them how to think and play at the same time. I can tell you cut off baseline. But I want you to know the importance of why you have to cut off the baseline. And while your teammate is cutting off the baseline, I want the next person to know why you have to be in help-side and so forth and so forth. I’m really teaching them the game and they’re learning the game.” McLaughlin learned the game late by her own admission. Although she played growing up, her first organized ball was in the sixth grade. The Woodstock Middle School campus is where McLaughlin sharpen her skills and made a name for herself. She arrived to Millington Central High School in 2005 and became the spark plug to the Lady Trojan turnaround under the guidance of Head Coach Stan Gatlin. The list of names grew on the standout list for the Lady Trojans like Tamarah Brandon, Michelle Brown, Ashley Robinson, Olivia Maddox and Jasmine Newsome. All those Lady Trojans played alongside McLaughlin and won either All-District, All-Region or All-State honors. McLaughlin’s name was on all of those list during her Lady Trojan career. She helped Millington reach the 2008 Class 3A State Championship game. In one contest at Munford, McLaughlin hit a then State-record of 10 three-pointers in a game attempting 13 treys. She’s the all-time leader in steals in Tennessee. She signed to play Division I basketball at UT-Martin but transferred to Union winning a National championship there. With a chance to work anywhere in America, McLaughlin decided to come back home and work in Millington Municipal Schools. Then she was approached about the middle school basketball job. The woman who heart pumps black and gold saw a chance to give back to two of her schools directly. “I’m definitely seeing the bigger picture,” she said. “It’s really going to take dedication from people willing to volunteer their time and just invest into our kids. I have the privilege and the honor of being the district social worker and prevention counselor. From that I have inside information. Just in the Millington area alone, out of our four schools 70 percent of our kids fall at our under the poverty level. “With that being said, its going to take people in our community investing in our kids,” McLaughlin added. “From that pool, we have people willing to learn about basketball. Taking the time to teach the game, we need to start young like the third, fourth or fifth grades.” McLaughlin believes the game can enrich students at EA Harrold and Millington Elementary laying down a solid foundation. “I really believe it has to be about a system, no necessarily a coach,” she said. “But once you put the system in place, the people will come. They will start learning the game, and that will produce a winning program. You’ve also have to have buy-in from the parent, no just the players that are in the uniforms whether that’s Lady Stallions or Lady Trojans.” McLaughlin is drafting up a blueprint that will prepare future Lady Trojans to be in a prime spot to join the list of all-time Millington greats. “It’s a God-thing,” she said. “I follow Him. Honestly He placed it before me. Once I really just prayed about it, ‘God is this something You desire for me to do. He gave me the clearance. My thing was I really want You to show me. If this is for me I want to still be all that I am in my church — Innovation Church. I still want to have family time and be able to do all of that.
“When this opportunity to coach middle school basketball was presented it definitely fit into my schedule perfectly,” McLaughlin concluded. “So I don’t have to miss church or run around like a chicken with my head cut off. Everything has really lined up.”
