BAM, Son!: Believe, Achieve, Motivate—Remembering Coach Jim Clayton

In this special remembrance episode of Shooting It Straight, We revisit a 2018 conversation recorded with Randy and Coach Clayton—mentor, educator, motivator, and the heart behind “BAM, son.” We talk about the origins and meaning of BAM (Believe, Achieve, Motivate), why failure is feedback, and how fear, process, and paying the price shape real success. Jim shares timeless lessons from 35 years in education and decades in coaching: building relationships, setting high expectations, learning students’ names, and making every learner feel seen and capable. He opens up about turning passion into profession, trailblazing individualized basketball training, and the second chance that reshaped his life after a devastating childhood injury.

We also dig into what makes great teachers and teams—consistency, intentionality, humility, and being “mission over position.” Jim reflects on influences who believed in him, the power of positive culture, and the simple, daily practice of adding value to others. He closes with what he wanted to be remembered for: passion, positivity, and giving 100% every day. BAM, son.

If you have any memories of Coach Clayton to share with his family and the podcast, please share it via the contact page on our website (https://shootingitstraight.com/contact/).

Transcript

Speaker: 00:00:01

Coach Jim Clayton: Bam son!

Speaker: 00:00:03

Coach Jim Clayton: This is Shootin' It Straight, the podcast where life blessings don't come sugar-coated and excuses get bitched.

Randy Black: 00:00:09

I'm Randy Black, podcast guy, professional question asker, and apparently

Randy Black: 00:00:15

The only one here who doesn't yell pam, son, in public.

Randy Black: 00:00:17

Coach Jim Clayton: Well we're working on that, Randy.

Randy Black: 00:00:19

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm Jim Clayton, coach, mentor, motivator, and the guy who still thinks a whistle may be the best motivational tool known to man.

Randy Black: 00:00:30

Taking what Jim's learned from the court, the drills, the discipline, the drive, and translating it into real-world success.

Randy Black: 00:00:37

Coach Jim Clayton: That's right.

Randy Black: 00:00:37

Coach Jim Clayton: This ain't just about basketball.

Randy Black: 00:00:39

Coach Jim Clayton: It's about showing up when life presses full court.

Randy Black: 00:00:42

Coach Jim Clayton: It's about pushing through when the clocks tick.

Randy Black: 00:00:45

Coach Jim Clayton: Kicking down.

Randy Black: 00:00:45

And if you're looking for fluff, well, you might just want to ride the bench.

Randy Black: 00:00:49

Coach Jim Clayton: We're here to help you believe bigger, achieve louder, and motivate strong.

Randy Black: 00:00:53

Coach Jim Clayton: So buckle up and whatever you do, keep shooting it straight.

Randy Black: 00:00:57

Coach Jim Clayton: Bam, son!

Randy Black: 00:00:59

Welcome back to Shooting It Straight, I'm Randy Black.

Randy Black: 00:01:03

And as we continue to work on our

Randy Black: 00:01:07

Remembering of Jim Clayton, I wanted to take the time to pull an episode out from a show I did back in 20

Randy Black: 00:01:14,: 2018Randy Black: 00:01:18

And on that up on there we had two episodes that were a split conversation that I had with Jim.

Randy Black: 00:01:24

back then.

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Uh same same studio space we recorded in for shooting it straight.

Randy Black: 00:01:30Uh back in: 2018Randy Black: 00:01:34

We talked about Jim's coaching, his business.

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Things like that.

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And the end of this conversation hit me hard listening back to it because the question is

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What did Jim Clayton want to be remembered for?

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And the things he said are the exact things that everyone so far in their statements of remembrance have mentioned and talked about

Randy Black: 00:01:58ording that I pulled out from: 2018 Randy Black: 00:02:10

And uh I'll be back at the end of the episode to close it out.

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But I hope you enjoy it.

Randy Black: 00:02:15

Thank you.

Randy Black: 00:02:18

Today I'm setting in at the offices at Sports City U with Jimmy Clayton.

Randy Black: 00:02:22

Jimmy, I'm glad you could come on today

Randy Black: 00:02:23

Buddy, I appreciate you uh bring bringing me on.

Randy Black: 00:02:26

Jimmy, you know, we we sat here talking before we got started about, you know, me talking about the first time I remember meeting you.

Randy Black: 00:02:33

you know, sophomore in high school, would have been 96, 97, CK, uh, Shri-Kanova High School at the Teen Institute.

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And I said, you know, I don't remember anything specific of what you said when you came to speak.

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But I remember the message was just about being positive.

Randy Black: 00:02:48

It was all positivity.

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And it it changed the way I kind of looked at some things in life as a youngster.

Randy Black: 00:02:54

Um, I graduated high school, went to college, uh, got to the second half of my student teaching at Huntington High, and who did I end up eating lunch with most days?

Randy Black: 00:03:02

Jimmy Clayton.

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And I was I was excited, you know.

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I said, I gotta remember this guy.

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He talked about all this stuff that was positive and you know it was it was fun because

Randy Black: 00:03:11

Sitting there eating lunch, I got to know Jimmy the educator and Jimmy the man a little bit that I didn't see other than Jimmy the Speaker.

Randy Black: 00:03:19

So it was, it was, it was good.

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You know, I I graduated, I started teaching, uh, did my years subbing and then worked at Enslow for a couple years and left there to go to Cabble Midland.

Randy Black: 00:03:28

And who happens to be working at Cabel Midland?

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Jimmy Clayton.

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And it was it was exciting because I I watched the interaction and things you had with the kids and other people on the staff and said, you know what

Randy Black: 00:03:40

I want to be like Jimmy.

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I want to have those relationships.

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You know, and I I I try to do that now.

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Uh and it took me a couple of years to get to the point that I could.

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You know, it's it's always about growth.

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And I I'm at that point where I feel like I'm starting to

Randy Black: 00:03:54

to to have that now.

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And and I want to say thanks, Jimmy, because you kinda inspired me with that.

Randy Black: 00:03:58

Coach Jim Clayton: Well I appreciate that.

Randy Black: 00:03:59

Coach Jim Clayton: I appreciate that.

Randy Black: 00:04:01

Coach Jim Clayton: You're right.

Randy Black: 00:04:01

Coach Jim Clayton: It does take time.

Randy Black: 00:04:02

Coach Jim Clayton: It takes a long time and it never's you never stop learning how to be better at it

Randy Black: 00:04:07

So we're sitting here and on your t-shirt.

Randy Black: 00:04:10

You've got this logo that was designed and and I love it because it's that classic, you know, it's got the Jimmy Clayton mustache that you're

Randy Black: 00:04:17

famous for with people in the area and people who know you across the country.

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And it says BAM.

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And I know that stands for Believe, Achieve, Motivate

Randy Black: 00:04:27

What does that mean to you?

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Coach Jim Clayton: Well, you know, when you when you when you hear the word bam, like you turn on a television, you turn on, you hear somebody say that word.

Randy Black: 00:04:38

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I just started saying it and it just kind of gives some energy.

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Coach Jim Clayton: It makes people excited.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Something when they say bam, you know, it's like somebody's excited about something.

Randy Black: 00:04:48

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And so I started looking at that.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And so to be honest with you, it goes back to back to the teaching roots.

Randy Black: 00:04:56

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, you can get so it's not always about

Randy Black: 00:05:00

Coach Jim Clayton: The educator teaching the student.

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Coach Jim Clayton: It's a lot of times about the student teaching the educator.

Randy Black: 00:05:06

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And so right here in this gym, I was sitting in a camp with my highest level performers

Randy Black: 00:05:13

Coach Jim Clayton: And a little boy from Easter, Kentucky, his name's Cole Craze, never forget it, he said, coach, you know what you should do?

Randy Black: 00:05:20

Coach Jim Clayton: He says, you should get a t-shirt out there.

Randy Black: 00:05:23

Coach Jim Clayton: He said, don't put your face on it.

Randy Black: 00:05:25

Coach Jim Clayton: He said, just put your mustache on it.

Randy Black: 00:05:27

Coach Jim Clayton: And you should put, bam, son, on that thing.

Randy Black: 00:05:30

Coach Jim Clayton: You say that so much.

Randy Black: 00:05:31

Coach Jim Clayton: And I'm thinking, he said, you're going.

Randy Black: 00:05:34

Coach Jim Clayton: You'll kill it.

Randy Black: 00:05:35

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, I hear you go.

Randy Black: 00:05:36

Coach Jim Clayton: I said that ain't gonna really work.

Randy Black: 00:05:38

Coach Jim Clayton: So it kind of laid there for a little bit and years thinking it popped back up.

Randy Black: 00:05:43

Coach Jim Clayton: I said

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Coach Jim Clayton: I think I'm going to look into that.

Randy Black: 00:05:45

Coach Jim Clayton: So a little girl across the street from me, uh, she's an architect, interior design uh uh you know, graphic designer saying

Randy Black: 00:05:52

Coach Jim Clayton: Do you think you could make up something?

Randy Black: 00:05:53

Coach Jim Clayton: Come together?

Randy Black: 00:05:54

Coach Jim Clayton: So she made up a few things and we pieced it together and then I sent it to my my real graphic artist who lives in he lives in Detroit who

Randy Black: 00:06:02yton: I had in high school in: 1982 Randy Black: 00:06:05

Coach Jim Clayton: Now he's one of the top graphic artists in the country.

Randy Black: 00:06:07

Yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And we put this logo together.

Randy Black: 00:06:10

Coach Jim Clayton: And so I started thinking, I said, you know, uh

Randy Black: 00:06:13

Coach Jim Clayton: The BAM is exciting thing.

Randy Black: 00:06:15

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, what can that mean?

Randy Black: 00:06:17

Coach Jim Clayton: What can I really make that mean?

Randy Black: 00:06:19

Coach Jim Clayton: It has to have a meaning.

Randy Black: 00:06:21

Coach Jim Clayton: Because that's your brand.

Randy Black: 00:06:22

Oh yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: So what's the meaning?

Randy Black: 00:06:24

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, well, what do I talk about all the time?

Randy Black: 00:06:27

Coach Jim Clayton: And I'm always talking about believing in yourself.

Randy Black: 00:06:30

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean, how many people really don't believe in themselves?

Randy Black: 00:06:33

Coach Jim Clayton: And the honest truth is you can't expect other people to believe in you

Randy Black: 00:06:38

Coach Jim Clayton: if you really don't believe in yourself.

Randy Black: 00:06:39

Right.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And you can really I'm really good at reading people really fast.

Randy Black: 00:06:44

Coach Jim Clayton: I can tell you in ten seconds whether you have a lot of confidence in yourself or not.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Whether you say one word to me or not.

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Coach Jim Clayton: So I said, number one, you gotta believe in yourself.

Randy Black: 00:06:52

Coach Jim Clayton: So that was the belief part.

Randy Black: 00:06:54

Coach Jim Clayton: And then the achiever part of it was I always started every year with a saying on my board: no one ever rises to low expectations.

Randy Black: 00:07:05

Coach Jim Clayton: So I said, we gotta set the bar.

Randy Black: 00:07:07

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, for a lot of y'all, we don't even have a bar.

Randy Black: 00:07:09

Coach Jim Clayton: So we gotta set it.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And the the most successful and positive people, they don't set it, they set it and they reset it.

Randy Black: 00:07:15

Coach Jim Clayton: And then they reset it

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Coach Jim Clayton: And then they reset it, okay?

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Coach Jim Clayton: Then they leap over it, okay, and they own it.

Randy Black: 00:07:21

Coach Jim Clayton: So the uh the the achieve the greatness part was the resetting of the bar.

Randy Black: 00:07:26

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, to try to be a little bit better every day.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, don't stay the same.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Don't live today off yesterday's successes.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, it's about what am I doing today

Randy Black: 00:07:36

Coach Jim Clayton: to make myself better and help other people add value to other people's lives.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And the last part was the motivated

Randy Black: 00:07:44

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, motivation is kind of a strange tool, okay?

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Coach Jim Clayton: You know, you really, it's not something that, you know, it's not something that somebody can give you

Randy Black: 00:07:55

Coach Jim Clayton: It really has something to do with passion of what you're really doing.

Randy Black: 00:08:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Because your passion is your energy, and your energy is what keeps you going day to day to day.

Randy Black: 00:08:04

Coach Jim Clayton: Because we all know

Randy Black: 00:08:05

Coach Jim Clayton: Man, it some days it could be like you feel like you're just beating your head against the wall.

Randy Black: 00:08:10

Coach Jim Clayton: You're not getting anywhere.

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Coach Jim Clayton: So, you know, you gotta have that passion.

Randy Black: 00:08:13

Coach Jim Clayton: And for me, you know, I was fortunate enough to turn my passion into my profession

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Coach Jim Clayton: So I never really had to work a day of my life.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:08:21

Coach Jim Clayton: I never really did.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And so when you believe in yourself, you know, you set the bar high and you're going to keep achieving every day to try to be greater.

Randy Black: 00:08:29

Coach Jim Clayton: And you stay motivated every day.

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Coach Jim Clayton: I mean, you're on the right track to success right there.

Randy Black: 00:08:35

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And that's how, that's really what the BAM is.

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Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

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Coach Jim Clayton: So when I look at this body say, bam!

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Coach Jim Clayton: It's there they know when I look at him and I point at him and I say that that something good has just happened.

Randy Black: 00:08:48

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm excited about it, you know, and

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Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I mean I people ask me that every day, and some people know it, and uh it's it's it's really caught on.

Randy Black: 00:08:57

Coach Jim Clayton: I've used it with my John Maxwell teaching.

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Coach Jim Clayton: That's exactly my my they told me they said, that's your brand

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Coach Jim Clayton: Everybody's gonna notice I hashtag everything, bam, sun, and and and the sun part, that's kind of weird how that came in, because

Randy Black: 00:09:13

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, but my of course being in the basketball world, I was watching a tape one day, my son brought him The Legends of Bluegrass Basketball in Kentucky.

Randy Black: 00:09:20

Coach Jim Clayton: And there's a coach called Billy Mike Running, who was the coach of Painesfield for 100 years

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Coach Jim Clayton: Real successful guy.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And he had a picture in a locker room with this guy and he was talking his boy says, Dang son, can't you guard that guy son?

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Coach Jim Clayton: He's eating you up, son.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And then I start going, son, and then it was bam, son, and now there it is.

Randy Black: 00:09:40

Yeah, you know, you know, anybody who listens to the my podcast knows that

Randy Black: 00:09:44

One of the big things I talk about a lot is is failure.

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Uh and it's because I got a fortune cookie.

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And I talk about all the time and it said failure is feedback

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And feedback is the breakfast of champions.

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And that's kind of my brand with with the way I look at things.

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I've got I've got a logo design and everything.

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I'm looking to

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Looking to to put some t-shirts up online, sell them, uh get some stickers printed up, give out to people.

Randy Black: 00:10:05

So I you know I totally get it, man.

Randy Black: 00:10:07

It's it all makes sense.

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Coach Jim Clayton: It's you know, I mean, and it's it's you know, a lot of the belief

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Coach Jim Clayton: is right on fear.

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Coach Jim Clayton: I mean fear does two things to people.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Either brings out the best in you or it brings out the worst in you.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And in the beginning, it'll always bring out the worst.

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Coach Jim Clayton: But if you're motivated and you stick with it,

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Coach Jim Clayton: But see, that's the thing.

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Coach Jim Clayton: That's the hard part about today's kids in today's world.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Everything has to be fast.

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Coach Jim Clayton: This is not a fast process.

Randy Black: 00:10:32

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh no.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And

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Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I don't care who you are, and I don't care what you're doing.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Two things, if you're gonna be successful, two things gotta be present.

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Coach Jim Clayton: One, you gotta go through the process and two, you gotta pay the price.

Randy Black: 00:10:43

Oh yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And if you don't anybody you talk to that is

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Coach Jim Clayton: Making it happen, they've done those two things.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And kiss today, people today they want to go, they want to fast forward all that.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Can't do it.

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Coach Jim Clayton: You miss too much

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Coach Jim Clayton: You can't miss the gaps.

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Coach Jim Clayton: There's no elevators or steps.

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Coach Jim Clayton: You've got to take those steps.

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Coach Jim Clayton: You can't jump the steps.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And that's the fear, man.

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Coach Jim Clayton: The fear does, I mean, the fear, you know, it's like John Maxwell, one of my favorite books is called Failing Forward.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Sometimes you gotta fear is a better way to get begin again and failure is a better way to begin again more intelligently.

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Coach Jim Clayton: That's what I tell myself.

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Coach Jim Clayton: There's a reason it ain't working.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Now let's go back and figure it out and and make it better.

Randy Black: 00:11:17

Oh yeah

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Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and you're either getting better or you're getting bitter.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And that's why the world's mess that's why they're mad all the time, because they're they're bitter.

Randy Black: 00:11:23

Yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: They're mad because they can't fix nothing.

Randy Black: 00:11:25

You know, it's the idea that, you know

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So many people are afraid of failure.

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Well, failure if you learn something from it is awesome.

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You know, as a teacher, did I fail a lot?

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Heck yeah.

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I failed all the time.

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But

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Did I learn something from it?

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Most of the time.

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So it's a positive.

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It was a great outcome.

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Coach Jim Clayton: It really is.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And own up to the failure.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

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Coach Jim Clayton: I own up to it all the time.

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Coach Jim Clayton: So in my business world say, you know, I made a mistake.

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Coach Jim Clayton: I know what I did.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Hey, don't I look around, I'm not pointing fingers.

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Coach Jim Clayton: I'm looking at the guy in the mirror.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Who's the fault?

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Coach Jim Clayton: Me.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

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Coach Jim Clayton: That's it right there.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And when we do camps and things here, that's the first thing I tell kids.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Look, this is going to be a little different experience than some of them other ones because I don't care if you mess up.

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Coach Jim Clayton: Matter of fact

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Coach Jim Clayton: I hope you do because that gets you out of two zones that you never want to play.

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Coach Jim Clayton: One is your comfort zone and the other is your coax zone.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And either way

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Coach Jim Clayton: You're not making anything positive happen in those two songs.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And they look at me like, seriously?

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Coach Jim Clayton: You mean I can make them say I said, yep.

Randy Black: 00:12:27

Coach Jim Clayton: You throw it out there in the creek.

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Coach Jim Clayton: You shoot it in the

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Coach Jim Clayton: You're not coming out.

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Coach Jim Clayton: We're gonna figure out what the problem is and we're gonna figure out how to solve it.

Randy Black: 00:12:37

Nice.

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Coach Jim Clayton: That's the key.

Randy Black: 00:12:39

So, you know, looking back at, you know, you you spent 35 years as an educator.

Randy Black: 00:12:43

I was in the classroom for for quite a while before I moved into the position I mean, I'm still in education, but not in a classroom.

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What is it in your opinion that makes a great teacher or a great coach?

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Coach Jim Clayton: Well, to me, you know, it's there's an old saying, and I use a lot of sayings, kids want to know how much you care before they care how much you know.

Randy Black: 00:13:03

Coach Jim Clayton: And we had talked about it a little earlier previously.

Randy Black: 00:13:05

Coach Jim Clayton: It's about relationships.

Randy Black: 00:13:07

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh, yeah.

Randy Black: 00:13:08

Coach Jim Clayton: It's all about you and that child.

Randy Black: 00:13:11

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

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Coach Jim Clayton: And to me

Randy Black: 00:13:12

Coach Jim Clayton: See, I think certain people have the ability to look at people and they say, I'm not looking at you the way you are.

Randy Black: 00:13:21

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm seeing the way you could be, man.

Randy Black: 00:13:23

Coach Jim Clayton: You've got so much potential.

Randy Black: 00:13:25

Coach Jim Clayton: Because a lot of them have never heard that in their life.

Randy Black: 00:13:27

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

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Coach Jim Clayton: And I don't care what you want to do.

Randy Black: 00:13:30

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, it doesn't matter whether you want to be a mechanic.

Randy Black: 00:13:34

Coach Jim Clayton: See, most people talk about doctors, lawyers, you know See, I started the other inspector.

Randy Black: 00:13:38

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:13:38

Coach Jim Clayton: See, I never start with those guys because

Randy Black: 00:13:41

Coach Jim Clayton: Somebody's got to build their house.

Randy Black: 00:13:42

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:13:43

Coach Jim Clayton: Somebody's got to fix their car.

Randy Black: 00:13:45

Coach Jim Clayton: Somebody's got to fix the AC when I and the heat.

Randy Black: 00:13:48

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:13:49

Coach Jim Clayton: So

Randy Black: 00:13:50

Coach Jim Clayton: These guys on this end are just as important on that end because they don't feel like they're important.

Randy Black: 00:13:57

Coach Jim Clayton: They don't feel that.

Randy Black: 00:13:58

Coach Jim Clayton: And see, when you make them feel important

Randy Black: 00:14:03

Coach Jim Clayton: You got them.

Randy Black: 00:14:04

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I used to I got I got this, and it's sometimes you know you don't come up with these things, you just share them.

Randy Black: 00:14:09

Coach Jim Clayton: And this is something I did years and years and years ago.

Randy Black: 00:14:12

Coach Jim Clayton: I gave them a card.

Randy Black: 00:14:14

Coach Jim Clayton: Had my name on front.

Randy Black: 00:14:16

Coach Jim Clayton: Said Jim Quake, coach, teacher, mentor.

Randy Black: 00:14:20

Coach Jim Clayton: It says, you got my number.

Randy Black: 00:14:22

Coach Jim Clayton: And it had like a heartbeat across the front, like you would look, got my number

Randy Black: 00:14:26

Coach Jim Clayton: On the back, it had a bunch of people with a with the show in the back of them.

Randy Black: 00:14:31

Coach Jim Clayton: And it says on when you turn over, it says, and I got your back.

Randy Black: 00:14:34

Coach Jim Clayton: And it had a little thing.

Randy Black: 00:14:35

Coach Jim Clayton: It says, if you're ever in trouble, you're scared, you don't know what to do.

Randy Black: 00:14:40

Coach Jim Clayton: And you can't get a hold of your parents, you call me.

Randy Black: 00:14:43

Coach Jim Clayton: No questions asked.

Randy Black: 00:14:44

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm gonna come take care of you.

Randy Black: 00:14:46

Coach Jim Clayton: And they give you a look kind of right there on that spot.

Randy Black: 00:14:49

Coach Jim Clayton: Like, seriously?

Randy Black: 00:14:51

Coach Jim Clayton: Seriously.

Randy Black: 00:14:52

Coach Jim Clayton: Now that don't mean call me and ha have have a personal conversation with me because I I I respect your space out of school and you gotta respect mine because respect is a two-way street here.

Randy Black: 00:15:01

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:15:01

Coach Jim Clayton: It's just not the general patent mentality, my way or the highway

Randy Black: 00:15:04

Coach Jim Clayton: It's a two-way street, okay?

Randy Black: 00:15:06

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's where I think a lot of educators and coaches they get messed up with kids.

Randy Black: 00:15:10

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:15:10

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

Randy Black: 00:15:11

Coach Jim Clayton: And I see kids today and it's case say, Coach, I still got that card.

Randy Black: 00:15:14

Coach Jim Clayton: I still got that card.

Randy Black: 00:15:16

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, Well, it's it still applies.

Randy Black: 00:15:18

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, I you the other thing is I learn everybody's name.

Randy Black: 00:15:22

Coach Jim Clayton: Names are critical to people.

Randy Black: 00:15:24

Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:15:24

Coach Jim Clayton: And kids go all day and never hear their name

Randy Black: 00:15:27

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:15:28

Coach Jim Clayton: They never anybody call their name.

Randy Black: 00:15:30

Coach Jim Clayton: And you know, everybody, you know, if you give a guy a brand new pen, what's the first thing they write?

Randy Black: 00:15:35

Coach Jim Clayton: Their name.

Randy Black: 00:15:36

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:15:37

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, hey Jay, hey, how you doing?

Randy Black: 00:15:38

Coach Jim Clayton: Hey, good job.

Randy Black: 00:15:39

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:15:40

Coach Jim Clayton: And I do research on my students.

Randy Black: 00:15:42

Coach Jim Clayton: I see they do it and made a good grade on your test.

Randy Black: 00:15:44

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, I see you made a good, I saw you made an A on Mr.

Randy Black: 00:15:46

Coach Jim Clayton: Black's test, man.

Randy Black: 00:15:47

Coach Jim Clayton: Good job.

Randy Black: 00:15:48

Coach Jim Clayton: How'd you know that

Randy Black: 00:15:49

Coach Jim Clayton: See, they know you're checking them out.

Randy Black: 00:15:51

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:15:51

Coach Jim Clayton: See, it's not just about you in that 50 minutes in that wall.

Randy Black: 00:15:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:15:56

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and and my method of teaching was so simple.

Randy Black: 00:16:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Which I think people sometimes, you know, educators uh they take things simple and make 'em tremendously complicated and could

Randy Black: 00:16:09

Coach Jim Clayton: Communicators take things that are extremely complicated and make them really simple.

Randy Black: 00:16:13

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:16:13

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:16:14

Coach Jim Clayton: And it took me a long time to figure that out.

Randy Black: 00:16:16

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, it it took me a long time to figure that kind of stuff out.

Randy Black: 00:16:19

Coach Jim Clayton: But

Randy Black: 00:16:19

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, through through John Maxwell and and things like that, you know, uh, you know, I I just I speak to him all the time.

Randy Black: 00:16:27

Coach Jim Clayton: Hey, how you doing?

Randy Black: 00:16:28

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, good to see you.

Randy Black: 00:16:29

Coach Jim Clayton: And

Randy Black: 00:16:30

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I said, you better not go by me and not say hi to me.

Randy Black: 00:16:34

Coach Jim Clayton: Or I'll call you out right there.

Randy Black: 00:16:36

Coach Jim Clayton: I see him in Walmart.

Randy Black: 00:16:37

Coach Jim Clayton: I see him every but I said, let me tell you something.

Randy Black: 00:16:39

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm not going to ever do anything

Randy Black: 00:16:41

Coach Jim Clayton: that embarrasses you ever in front of anybody and I really appreciate you returning the favor.

Randy Black: 00:16:49

Coach Jim Clayton: And they go, that's not a problem.

Randy Black: 00:16:52

Coach Jim Clayton: So those were my simple things.

Randy Black: 00:16:54

Coach Jim Clayton: And when I talked to them, here's exactly what I did.

Randy Black: 00:16:56

Coach Jim Clayton: Here's what we're learning today.

Randy Black: 00:16:58

Coach Jim Clayton: Here's why we're learning it.

Randy Black: 00:17:01

Coach Jim Clayton: And here's how you're going to use it in your life today.

Randy Black: 00:17:04

Coach Jim Clayton: And too many kids sit there and they thinking to themselves, why am I learning it?

Randy Black: 00:17:08

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:17:09

Coach Jim Clayton: And see, that turns off the not that turns off the learning button

Randy Black: 00:17:12

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:17:12

Coach Jim Clayton: Because now they're having this personal conversation with yourself and it's like they're talking themselves right out of learning what you're trying to teach 'em.

Randy Black: 00:17:20

Coach Jim Clayton: And the next day I say, Well, how'd we use that?

Randy Black: 00:17:23

Coach Jim Clayton: And they come in and say, Well, let me tell you how I used that

Randy Black: 00:17:26

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and see that's applying the the daily things.

Randy Black: 00:17:30

Coach Jim Clayton: And I tried to add things every day out of something out of the out of the out of the book.

Randy Black: 00:17:36

Coach Jim Clayton: took the knowledge part.

Randy Black: 00:17:37

Coach Jim Clayton: Let's take let's talk some life lessons.

Randy Black: 00:17:39

Coach Jim Clayton: How are we going to incorporate this?

Randy Black: 00:17:41

Coach Jim Clayton: So, you know, like I said, I knew some of them had tough homes.

Randy Black: 00:17:44

Coach Jim Clayton: I knew I did the research on it.

Randy Black: 00:17:45

Coach Jim Clayton: See some of the kids I I mean I hate saying it hurts my heart when I say this.

Randy Black: 00:17:49

Yeah

Randy Black: 00:17:49

Coach Jim Clayton: Some teachers don't even know the kids' names after they've been in the class for like eight months.

Randy Black: 00:17:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:17:55

Coach Jim Clayton: I I I I I'm blown away by that.

Randy Black: 00:17:57

Coach Jim Clayton: I never I never could get that either.

Randy Black: 00:17:59

Coach Jim Clayton: I am going, what are you doing?

Randy Black: 00:18:02

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:18:03

Coach Jim Clayton: And

Randy Black: 00:18:04

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I just I want you to be excited about coming to class every day because I'm going to meet you and I'm going to create you.

Randy Black: 00:18:12

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, two things that are we're going to do in this class.

Randy Black: 00:18:15

Coach Jim Clayton: One, you know, we're going to be consistent.

Randy Black: 00:18:17

Coach Jim Clayton: And number two, we're going to be intentional.

Randy Black: 00:18:19

Coach Jim Clayton: You never become great accidentally and you don't become great inconsistently.

Randy Black: 00:18:24

Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:18:24

Coach Jim Clayton: And when you got those two words popping around, that's how I taught.

Randy Black: 00:18:28

Coach Jim Clayton: That's how I coach today.

Randy Black: 00:18:29

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's how I get people, you know what I mean, that will do anything I I mean, they'll do anything I want 'em to do.

Randy Black: 00:18:37

Coach Jim Clayton: But it's not that simple.

Randy Black: 00:18:38

Coach Jim Clayton: It's not that hard.

Randy Black: 00:18:39

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:18:39

Coach Jim Clayton: It's really simple.

Randy Black: 00:18:40

Coach Jim Clayton: But I don't think that's taught to teachers tonight.

Randy Black: 00:18:43

Coach Jim Clayton: I would agree.

Randy Black: 00:18:44

Coach Jim Clayton: It's not taught when you're coming through student teaching.

Randy Black: 00:18:47

Coach Jim Clayton: No.

Randy Black: 00:18:48

Coach Jim Clayton: It's not taught

Randy Black: 00:18:49

Coach Jim Clayton: when you're a first, second, third year teacher.

Randy Black: 00:18:51

Coach Jim Clayton: See that's what I think they need to get their claws on.

Randy Black: 00:18:54

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:18:54

Coach Jim Clayton: They need to dig their teeth in the city.

Randy Black: 00:19:00

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:19:01

They don't they don't see the relationship component and how to build that.

Randy Black: 00:19:04

You know, you know, I look, I know there's students that you had you're still friends with.

Randy Black: 00:19:07

Oh, absolutely.

Randy Black: 00:19:08

For example.

Randy Black: 00:19:08

Crash.

Randy Black: 00:19:09

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh my god.

Randy Black: 00:19:09

I know who crashes.

Randy Black: 00:19:11

Crash is awesome.

Randy Black: 00:19:11

I remember crash when I did my student teaching at Huntington High.

Randy Black: 00:19:14

Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:19:14

I still see him around Huntington all over the place.

Randy Black: 00:19:16

Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:19:17

And I know you're still close with him.

Randy Black: 00:19:18

You still talk

Randy Black: 00:19:19

All the time.

Randy Black: 00:19:19

And he's all the time.

Randy Black: 00:19:20

Coach Jim Clayton: He's he's he calls me.

Randy Black: 00:19:22

Coach Jim Clayton: He moved out to Lincoln County.

Randy Black: 00:19:22

Coach Jim Clayton: So that kind of messed me up a little bit.

Randy Black: 00:19:24

Coach Jim Clayton: He can't get in as much.

Randy Black: 00:19:25

Coach Jim Clayton: He's you got anything you need me to do?

Randy Black: 00:19:27

Coach Jim Clayton: You want me to do some mulch?

Randy Black: 00:19:28

Coach Jim Clayton: He said, You want me?

Randy Black: 00:19:29

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't care what I asked that boy to do.

Randy Black: 00:19:32

Coach Jim Clayton: He never questioned it.

Randy Black: 00:19:34

Coach Jim Clayton: He would do it.

Randy Black: 00:19:35

Coach Jim Clayton: But he also knew that I would take care of him.

Randy Black: 00:19:39

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:19:39

Coach Jim Clayton: I d he didn't have to say something to me.

Randy Black: 00:19:41

Coach Jim Clayton: If he called me for something, someone write.

Randy Black: 00:19:44

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:19:44

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, Crash Wheels because he said

Randy Black: 00:19:46

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't got any shoes.

Randy Black: 00:19:48

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, Well, I tell you what, buddy, where are you?

Randy Black: 00:19:51

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:19:51

Coach Jim Clayton: You got you got you got it you got a gym bag?

Randy Black: 00:19:54

Coach Jim Clayton: Yep.

Randy Black: 00:19:54

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, Well you just come you c w when can I see you?

Randy Black: 00:19:56

Coach Jim Clayton: Well when's the next time we get together?

Randy Black: 00:19:57

Coach Jim Clayton: Well, I'll come over tomorrow.

Randy Black: 00:19:59

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, come over.

Randy Black: 00:19:59

Coach Jim Clayton: I'll you bring your bag.

Randy Black: 00:20:01

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm gonna fill you up with shoes because I got tons of shoes.

Randy Black: 00:20:04

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, I'd rather give them to somebody that I know needs them.

Randy Black: 00:20:08

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and and again

Randy Black: 00:20:10

Coach Jim Clayton: He would do anything for you.

Randy Black: 00:20:12

Coach Jim Clayton: Not money.

Randy Black: 00:20:14

Coach Jim Clayton: Coach, can you give me a cheeseburger?

Randy Black: 00:20:16

Coach Jim Clayton: He ain't even talking about money.

Randy Black: 00:20:17

Coach Jim Clayton: Like didn't how much am I going to get paid?

Randy Black: 00:20:19

Coach Jim Clayton: Well that turns me off right there because because you know if if i it's it's not about it's about the money.

Randy Black: 00:20:26

Coach Jim Clayton: Money's important, but it's not about the money.

Randy Black: 00:20:29

Coach Jim Clayton: If money's your main driving force, you won't have any

Randy Black: 00:20:32

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:20:32

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, you you gotta be, I call it, I call it mission oriented, not position oriented.

Randy Black: 00:20:38

Coach Jim Clayton: See, mission is about the team.

Randy Black: 00:20:39

Coach Jim Clayton: It's about making what's the best, you know, it's like the faculty, it's like your

Randy Black: 00:20:43

Coach Jim Clayton: It's like your classroom, the best ever.

Randy Black: 00:20:46

Coach Jim Clayton: Mission oriented, it's about you.

Randy Black: 00:20:49

Coach Jim Clayton: And it's all about you.

Randy Black: 00:20:50

Coach Jim Clayton: And if you don't get what you want there, you go someplace else.

Randy Black: 00:20:52

Coach Jim Clayton: If you don't want you right there, you go someplace else.

Randy Black: 00:20:53

Coach Jim Clayton: So you're always bouncing around.

Randy Black: 00:20:55

Coach Jim Clayton: You never stick to nothing

Randy Black: 00:20:56

Coach Jim Clayton: And that that's not really gonna produce the best results.

Randy Black: 00:21:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:21:01

Coach Jim Clayton: But I I talk to people all the time.

Randy Black: 00:21:02

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean p th now through social media

Randy Black: 00:21:05

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean I get, you know, I I I sent a uh uh uh uh thing out yesterday.

Randy Black: 00:21:09

Coach Jim Clayton: One of my players was on the U.

Randy Black: 00:21:11

Coach Jim Clayton: S.

Randy Black: 00:21:11

Coach Jim Clayton: Olympic team.

Randy Black: 00:21:12

Coach Jim Clayton: They won the gold and the U eighteen and she's going to Michigan.

Randy Black: 00:21:15

Coach Jim Clayton: I blew her up yesterday on my ends.

Randy Black: 00:21:18

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, big shit, big time, congrats.

Randy Black: 00:21:20

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, man, Michigan's so lucky to have you, and I'm going to tell you

Randy Black: 00:21:25

Coach Jim Clayton: I said it was an honor and a privilege to coach and teach you.

Randy Black: 00:21:29

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, my heart is smiling right now.

Randy Black: 00:21:31

Coach Jim Clayton: She sent me a text back that would have blown you right off the wall.

Randy Black: 00:21:35

Coach Jim Clayton: I didn't say that to get it back.

Randy Black: 00:21:36

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:21:37

Coach Jim Clayton: I said that because that's how I felt.

Randy Black: 00:21:39

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, with with with the educational world today, with the way these whack some of these touchy touchy, you know, people post bad things.

Randy Black: 00:21:49

Coach Jim Clayton: It makes you want to back away from from the personal hands on like pat somebody on the back and say, I never

Randy Black: 00:21:57

Coach Jim Clayton: I never DDaved off of that and I wasn't going to ever constrained to that because I never had those intentions.

Randy Black: 00:22:02

Coach Jim Clayton: And I think people know your intentions.

Randy Black: 00:22:04

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:22:05

Coach Jim Clayton: Because that's how I coach.

Randy Black: 00:22:06

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm a hands, I'm a touch, I'm a touch, you know what I mean, high-five, pat you on the back, you know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:22:12

Coach Jim Clayton: Put your hands where Yeah, I mean, on the ball, you know, I mean, I don't even think twice about any of that because

Randy Black: 00:22:18

Coach Jim Clayton: Because it's not where I was going, but the world is all changed.

Randy Black: 00:22:21

Coach Jim Clayton: And it's just it you know, I I I miss certain aspects of teaching.

Randy Black: 00:22:27

Coach Jim Clayton: But I don't miss certain aspects of it.

Randy Black: 00:22:29

Coach Jim Clayton: But I've never really quit teaching.

Randy Black: 00:22:31

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh no, no.

Randy Black: 00:22:31

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, see, I'm just teaching here you're not.

Randy Black: 00:22:34

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm see I and I'm teaching, you know, on my on my s my my

Randy Black: 00:22:37

Coach Jim Clayton: My my I I got a thing on my sometimes I put out called Clayton's Court and I have a motivational sings that I pop out on that and talks that I do and things and

Randy Black: 00:22:47

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I'm gonna constantly be putting this stuff out there because I'm around people that are teaching me so much good stuff.

Randy Black: 00:22:57

Coach Jim Clayton: I can't keep it to myself.

Randy Black: 00:22:58

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah, you gotta I gotta get it out there it's called my twenty four hour rule.

Randy Black: 00:23:02

Coach Jim Clayton: If I learn something in twenty four hour that moves me

Randy Black: 00:23:05

Coach Jim Clayton: I gotta share it with somebody.

Randy Black: 00:23:06

Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:23:07

Coach Jim Clayton: It's going out there.

Randy Black: 00:23:07

Coach Jim Clayton: Now it might go right over some closed mindsets.

Randy Black: 00:23:11

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, people that

Randy Black: 00:23:13

Coach Jim Clayton: This is the way it's gonna be.

Randy Black: 00:23:14

Coach Jim Clayton: And you know, I don't care what you say to me, you know, I'm never changing anything.

Randy Black: 00:23:18

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and I've always wanted to do a shirt to one of these days I'm gonna do it that says, no change, no change.

Randy Black: 00:23:23

Coach Jim Clayton: Because change is a tough thing for people.

Randy Black: 00:23:26

Coach Jim Clayton: And I'm always willing to change.

Randy Black: 00:23:28

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm always willing to try to be a better because I'm a lifelong learner.

Randy Black: 00:23:31

Coach Jim Clayton: I'll try some things.

Randy Black: 00:23:32

Coach Jim Clayton: It might not work for me, but I'll tweak it and do some whatever, but I'm not

Randy Black: 00:23:35

Coach Jim Clayton: I've not got a closed mindset on, and at Midland, when we were teaching at Midland, they're a little bit together, they did more

Randy Black: 00:23:44

Coach Jim Clayton: stuff, staff development things for the that for the staff than I've ever went through in all my years of

Randy Black: 00:23:53

Coach Jim Clayton: uh teaching and I implemented tons of that stuff, bits and pieces of it.

Randy Black: 00:23:58

Coach Jim Clayton: But there were always the ones You know, the grumblers in the back of the auditorium.

Randy Black: 00:24:03

I you know, I when I w when I was in my job as as technology integration specialist at Huntington Middle,

Randy Black: 00:24:08

I learned that there are really three groups of teachers.

Randy Black: 00:24:10

Especially when it comes to technology, but just three groups of teachers in general.

Randy Black: 00:24:13

The first group is willing to stick their neck out.

Randy Black: 00:24:16

They're willing to try anything because it might be best for the kids.

Randy Black: 00:24:20

Yes.

Randy Black: 00:24:21

That's the group that

Randy Black: 00:24:22

every administrator loves.

Randy Black: 00:24:24

That's the group that as a tech coach I loved because they're willing to do anything.

Randy Black: 00:24:28

Your second group are the people who've been at this a really long time and they're in a rut and what they have works for them

Randy Black: 00:24:35

whether it works or not for the kids.

Randy Black: 00:24:38

Right.

Randy Black: 00:24:38

They want to they don't want to change.

Randy Black: 00:24:40

Uh and then the the third group are in between and a lot of times they're willing to try something new, but they won't ask for help.

Randy Black: 00:24:50

And if they fail, they tend to to to shut down.

Randy Black: 00:24:54

And they don't they don't ever revisit it.

Randy Black: 00:24:56

You know, I loved working with the people in that first group.

Randy Black: 00:24:58

I loved pushing the people in that second group to try to get them into that first group or the third group to get them in the third group.

Randy Black: 00:25:04

That's that group in the middle, the ones who don't want to change.

Randy Black: 00:25:07

They're tough.

Randy Black: 00:25:08

And I learned that as as frustrated and as as angry as I would get with these people because they didn't want to change anything

Randy Black: 00:25:16

that I had to just I had to pull back and just keep feeding them ideas.

Randy Black: 00:25:20

Keep presenting stuff to them.

Randy Black: 00:25:22

Keep trying to to get them to see something different that might help.

Randy Black: 00:25:26

I c I can tell you it was a rough two and a half years in that job because I had a I had a big group in that in that middle group, but the ones who were willing to work and willing to try things new.

Randy Black: 00:25:36

I loved it.

Randy Black: 00:25:36

And that was the part of the job I loved.

Randy Black: 00:25:38

And it's that way in all of education, not just with technology, but with education in general.

Randy Black: 00:25:41

You break you can break teachers down into those groups.

Randy Black: 00:25:43

Coach Jim Clayton: You nailed them.

Randy Black: 00:25:45

Coach Jim Clayton: You nailed them.

Randy Black: 00:25:45

Coach Jim Clayton: I've never heard it put that way.

Randy Black: 00:25:47

Coach Jim Clayton: But you're dead on.

Randy Black: 00:25:48

Coach Jim Clayton: I was in the first one and the third, I tell you right now, look, I'm gonna hit something.

Randy Black: 00:25:57

Coach Jim Clayton: Super nice guy, awesome guy.

Randy Black: 00:25:59

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh, Jeff.

Randy Black: 00:26:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Jeff.

Randy Black: 00:26:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:26:00

Coach Jim Clayton: I'd say, Jeff, I'm going to tell you right now, I'm going to hit a button and I'm going to mess this up.

Randy Black: 00:26:06

Coach Jim Clayton: He goes, you can't mess it up.

Randy Black: 00:26:08

Coach Jim Clayton: I said

Randy Black: 00:26:08

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, can I get that in writing?

Randy Black: 00:26:10

Coach Jim Clayton: Because I'm going to mess it up.

Randy Black: 00:26:12

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, Jeff, I messed it up.

Randy Black: 00:26:13

Coach Jim Clayton: He goes, okay, let me come down and check.

Randy Black: 00:26:15

Coach Jim Clayton: But I was trying to learn.

Randy Black: 00:26:17

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah, I was trying to put it in there

Randy Black: 00:26:19

Coach Jim Clayton: And uh, you know, it's what I found out was that as I was trying to do it, the kids knew how to do more than I did, and they they shared stuff with me.

Randy Black: 00:26:29

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, how do you do that?

Randy Black: 00:26:30

Coach Jim Clayton: Man, I just know how to do it, coach.

Randy Black: 00:26:32

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, man, that's awesome.

Randy Black: 00:26:34

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, you might want to think about going into that later in life because you're good at this.

Randy Black: 00:26:38

Coach Jim Clayton: He goes.

Randy Black: 00:26:39

Coach Jim Clayton: I've never had any training.

Randy Black: 00:26:40

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, you just c you just know how to do it.

Randy Black: 00:26:42

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, that's awesome.

Randy Black: 00:26:43

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, I don't know how to do it.

Randy Black: 00:26:46

Coach Jim Clayton: Probably the word that describes the the one word I wish that I wasn't is I'm a very impatient person.

Randy Black: 00:26:52

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm, oh, I know I I want things done like now.

Randy Black: 00:26:56

Coach Jim Clayton: And I know they can't be done now.

Randy Black: 00:26:58

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:26:58

Coach Jim Clayton: See, so if I want something done, I can pretty much do it right now myself.

Randy Black: 00:27:02

Coach Jim Clayton: But it takes time.

Randy Black: 00:27:03

Coach Jim Clayton: Good things take time and you gotta play but I'm getting better at it.

Randy Black: 00:27:05

Coach Jim Clayton: But I w the bigger thing was I wasn't asked I wasn't ashamed to ask for help.

Randy Black: 00:27:10

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:27:11

That's that's the hard part for a lot of people.

Randy Black: 00:27:13

Coach Jim Clayton: I I'm I'm first one to go hey can you help me can you show me how to do this?

Randy Black: 00:27:16

Coach Jim Clayton: What am I doing wrong?

Randy Black: 00:27:17

Coach Jim Clayton: You got a minute?

Randy Black: 00:27:18

Coach Jim Clayton: Right you know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:27:19

Oh I I remember I remember I remember I remember a day specifically we were when we were at Midland

Randy Black: 00:27:24

where you and I both were standing outside Kelly Daniels' office talking to her and there was something you were trying to do and you were you were just like, I don't know how to do it.

Randy Black: 00:27:31

And that's like

Randy Black: 00:27:32

So go back to your room.

Randy Black: 00:27:32

We'll take care of it.

Randy Black: 00:27:33

And we went back to your room and we and we we looked at it and I helped you through it.

Randy Black: 00:27:36

And you were like, thank you.

Randy Black: 00:27:38

He's like, and you were and you were so willing to learn how to do everything.

Randy Black: 00:27:40

Coach Jim Clayton: I want to learn how to do everything.

Randy Black: 00:27:42

So and that's that's the role that we need to have or the mindset we need.

Randy Black: 00:27:46

All educators to begin because if they're in the mindset, the kids are going to get in that mindset.

Randy Black: 00:27:50

It's all about it's all about that growth mindset.

Randy Black: 00:27:53

Coach Jim Clayton: I taught through stories.

Randy Black: 00:27:55

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm a storyteller

Randy Black: 00:27:56

Coach Jim Clayton: And I wasn't afraid.

Randy Black: 00:27:57

Coach Jim Clayton: So let me tell you I messed this up.

Randy Black: 00:28:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, see, I I told them about things I did that were the dumbest things that that produced and and they look at me and say, You seriously did that?

Randy Black: 00:28:08

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, Oh yeah, I did it

Randy Black: 00:28:10

Coach Jim Clayton: So it gave them, it kind of dropped their their their gloves a little bit.

Randy Black: 00:28:14

Coach Jim Clayton: And opened them up.

Randy Black: 00:28:15

Coach Jim Clayton: It took took them and I said, you know, let me tell you, but let me tell you, let me tell you how I got this turned around.

Randy Black: 00:28:20

Coach Jim Clayton: It wasn't.

Randy Black: 00:28:21

Coach Jim Clayton: It was somebody that was your age, show me something that I did changed it all for me.

Randy Black: 00:28:25

Coach Jim Clayton: Like, wow.

Randy Black: 00:28:27

Coach Jim Clayton: They didn't think, you mean we got the power to kind of see that they just see it so different.

Randy Black: 00:28:32

Coach Jim Clayton: It's not a power s it's not a position, power position talking down to people.

Randy Black: 00:28:40

Coach Jim Clayton: Never would I talk down to anybody.

Randy Black: 00:28:43

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't care who you are.

Randy Black: 00:28:44

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, I'm not doing it because I don't have the right to do it.

Randy Black: 00:28:49

Coach Jim Clayton: And you know, you know, just because you have a title

Randy Black: 00:28:53

Coach Jim Clayton: That doesn't give you power, but there are a lot of people in education that have titles.

Randy Black: 00:28:59

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh, there are our power players.

Randy Black: 00:29:00

Coach Jim Clayton: You've met them, I've met them, and they don't last long.

Randy Black: 00:29:04

Coach Jim Clayton: And

Randy Black: 00:29:05

Coach Jim Clayton: They don't have a good cohesiveness and chemistry with their team.

Randy Black: 00:29:09

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, their staff.

Randy Black: 00:29:11

Coach Jim Clayton: And I mean, that's just like building a basketball team.

Randy Black: 00:29:13

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:29:13

Coach Jim Clayton: Your staff is your team.

Randy Black: 00:29:15

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:29:15

Coach Jim Clayton: And the bottom line here is

Randy Black: 00:29:17

Coach Jim Clayton: If you don't have a great culture and relationship with your team, your vision

Randy Black: 00:29:25

Coach Jim Clayton: Culture weight vision for lunch.

Randy Black: 00:29:27

Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:29:27

Coach Jim Clayton: Your vision could be the greatest vision in the world, but you've already got people turns you off, turns you off, turns you off, turns you off on day one.

Randy Black: 00:29:35

Coach Jim Clayton: And with education, you know, I could go get that master's in administration.

Randy Black: 00:29:39

Coach Jim Clayton: I I I could have been administrator too.

Randy Black: 00:29:42

Coach Jim Clayton: But like you talked about earlier

Randy Black: 00:29:44

Coach Jim Clayton: I've been dealing 90% of the time with the negativity of all the stuff where the people don't want to be there.

Randy Black: 00:29:49

Right.

Randy Black: 00:29:49

Coach Jim Clayton: I like being in the trenches with the with the troops.

Randy Black: 00:29:52

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:29:52

Coach Jim Clayton: Get the mug, get down in there where let's go.

Randy Black: 00:29:54

Coach Jim Clayton: Let's go.

Randy Black: 00:29:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Let's get right in the middle of it

Randy Black: 00:29:57

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's what a that's what I like to do.

Randy Black: 00:30:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh, there's my right hand man.

Randy Black: 00:30:02

Coach Jim Clayton: There's my right hand man Alfie, you know, every hey

Randy Black: 00:30:04

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's the thing about I I've had eight dogs.

Randy Black: 00:30:07

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm down to three now.

Randy Black: 00:30:08

Coach Jim Clayton: They've all lived fifteen, sixteen.

Randy Black: 00:30:10

Coach Jim Clayton: I got a sixteen-year-old lab in home.

Randy Black: 00:30:11

Coach Jim Clayton: This is my youngest one right here.

Randy Black: 00:30:13

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, the thing about dogs is, you know, they always treat you like we wish we treated everybody else.

Randy Black: 00:30:19

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:30:21

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, he's just the happiest, go luckiest guy.

Randy Black: 00:30:24

Coach Jim Clayton: I cannot believe somebody

Randy Black: 00:30:25

Coach Jim Clayton: got rid of that dog.

Randy Black: 00:30:27

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and I'm a dog lover.

Randy Black: 00:30:29

Coach Jim Clayton: I I I'm I'm a sucker for all the dog stories and the videos on.

Randy Black: 00:30:33

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean, I s can't believe that people do that kind of stuff.

Randy Black: 00:30:37

Coach Jim Clayton: But yeah, you know, that's the thing about being

Randy Black: 00:30:39

Coach Jim Clayton: A good coach, good teacher, a good person, a good parent, you know, all those things.

Randy Black: 00:30:44

Coach Jim Clayton: You gotta have a heart.

Randy Black: 00:30:45

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:30:46

Coach Jim Clayton: You can't have that steel, you know, you gotta have

Randy Black: 00:30:48

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, you gotta you've gotta be able to get emotional.

Randy Black: 00:30:51

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, they see you, they see certain things that, you know, crack me up.

Randy Black: 00:30:55

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, now I'm gonna tell you something, I'm gonna watch this movie.

Randy Black: 00:30:56

Coach Jim Clayton: I tell my students, I says, now, right in the middle of the movie, there's certain parts that just hit me

Randy Black: 00:31:01

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't care if I watched it 30 times.

Randy Black: 00:31:04

Coach Jim Clayton: Something's going to draw a nerve in me.

Randy Black: 00:31:06

Coach Jim Clayton: So I'm just going to tell you, I ain't going to drop a big tear right here on there looking like, you do that?

Randy Black: 00:31:10

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:31:11

Coach Jim Clayton: But if you see me turn around

Randy Black: 00:31:13

Coach Jim Clayton: And look at the computer or do something, I'm just regaining, I'm re- refocusing my thoughts.

Randy Black: 00:31:19

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm not doing that.

Randy Black: 00:31:20

Coach Jim Clayton: And every time I do that, they're all looking at me

Randy Black: 00:31:22

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, I know y'all are looking at me.

Randy Black: 00:31:24

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, they'll be back there.

Randy Black: 00:31:26

Coach Jim Clayton: I'll be here.

Randy Black: 00:31:26

Coach Jim Clayton: They go, I know you're looking at me.

Randy Black: 00:31:28

Coach Jim Clayton: And they go, yeah, we're looking at you.

Randy Black: 00:31:29

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, I'm good

Randy Black: 00:31:31

Coach Jim Clayton: And they'd see that that just that adds that that just adds something.

Randy Black: 00:31:35

It makes you more human to them.

Randy Black: 00:31:36

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah, that's a good way of putting it.

Randy Black: 00:31:38

Coach Jim Clayton: That's a good way of putting it because that's all I want to be.

Randy Black: 00:31:41

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:31:42

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm just the transfer of I'm just trying to teach you things.

Randy Black: 00:31:46

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, that you're going and and you know, I had a a little girl the other day who I can remember the first day she walked in because her name's Amber Ross.

Randy Black: 00:31:53

Coach Jim Clayton: She's going she's her final semester now at Marshall.

Randy Black: 00:31:55

Coach Jim Clayton: She's gonna be a teacher

Randy Black: 00:31:57

Coach Jim Clayton: And she sends me stuff of things that she's done that she's basically talked about teaching my class.

Randy Black: 00:32:05

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, let me tell you something.

Randy Black: 00:32:07

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, she didn't she was as quiet when it sat there, you know, and I had her her fiance in my homeroom and he's a smart guy, and they're both really smart

Randy Black: 00:32:15

Coach Jim Clayton: And they're going to be married, and I said, you're going to be an awesome teacher.

Randy Black: 00:32:20

Coach Jim Clayton: And she's going, I can't believe it

Randy Black: 00:32:23

Coach Jim Clayton: And she's just constantly going, thank you, man.

Randy Black: 00:32:25

Coach Jim Clayton: Thank you.

Randy Black: 00:32:26

Coach Jim Clayton: You've but you were the reason I went.

Randy Black: 00:32:27

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean, I said, well, you know, I said, you some people just are made for that, and you're one of them.

Randy Black: 00:32:33

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:32:33

Coach Jim Clayton: And you know, it's just a constant positive what?

Randy Black: 00:32:36

Coach Jim Clayton: It's get going back to the band, getting people to what?

Randy Black: 00:32:40

Coach Jim Clayton: Really believe in themselves.

Randy Black: 00:32:42

Exactly.

Randy Black: 00:32:42

Coach Jim Clayton: And when you believe in yourself, the world is your plate, man

Randy Black: 00:32:46

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, your canvas, you can paint anything you want.

Randy Black: 00:32:49

Coach Jim Clayton: And it never stops.

Randy Black: 00:32:51

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:32:51

Coach Jim Clayton: And we have those ups and downs.

Randy Black: 00:32:53

Coach Jim Clayton: And sometimes you they d they know where to redirect to find

Randy Black: 00:32:59

Coach Jim Clayton: Some positive influence.

Randy Black: 00:33:01

Coach Jim Clayton: They know where to go.

Randy Black: 00:33:02

Coach Jim Clayton: They don't forget that.

Randy Black: 00:33:03

And I don't want them to forget that.

Randy Black: 00:33:05

You've been able to leverage your skills

Randy Black: 00:33:08

as an educator and as a coach into this business.

Randy Black: 00:33:11

And you're successful.

Randy Black: 00:33:13

You you are 27 years we've been here this October.

Randy Black: 00:33:16

It's awesome.

Randy Black: 00:33:17

You were and you were one of the first in the country.

Randy Black: 00:33:19

Coach Jim Clayton: Nobody really did this before this.

Randy Black: 00:33:21

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean you really when I started this in nineteen ninety two, if you wanted there was there was no such thing as a basketball lesson.

Randy Black: 00:33:27

Coach Jim Clayton: Now you could get a tennis lesson

Randy Black: 00:33:29

Coach Jim Clayton: You could get a karate lesson, you could get a violin lesson, you could get a guitar lesson, but there was no like structured broke down

Randy Black: 00:33:39

Coach Jim Clayton: you know, step by step how to do this.

Randy Black: 00:33:42

Coach Jim Clayton: And so I went back and I said, I'm going to create one.

Randy Black: 00:33:44

Coach Jim Clayton: And so I started just putting stuff together.

Randy Black: 00:33:47

Coach Jim Clayton: I didn't I

Randy Black: 00:33:48

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I tried to look for years, try to I tried to get the Calvin County to let me some of the schools they were closed and I tried to get Jerry Brewster to let me get a get in the facility and use it instead of tearing it down and letting it sit vacant and wouldn't let me do nothing.

Randy Black: 00:33:59

Coach Jim Clayton: So I finally I found this little warehouse on

Randy Black: 00:34:01

Coach Jim Clayton: on Third Avenue and I converted it into a little gym and I started it.

Randy Black: 00:34:06

Coach Jim Clayton: I didn't know anything.

Randy Black: 00:34:08

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay

Randy Black: 00:34:08

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean it it's I said, you know, there's well, it's not the right time.

Randy Black: 00:34:12

Coach Jim Clayton: There's no right time.

Randy Black: 00:34:14

Coach Jim Clayton: You just gotta jump.

Randy Black: 00:34:15

Coach Jim Clayton: You gotta leap.

Randy Black: 00:34:16

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:34:16

Coach Jim Clayton: Well I'm not smart enough

Randy Black: 00:34:17

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah you are.

Randy Black: 00:34:18

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:34:19

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't know what I'm doing.

Randy Black: 00:34:20

Coach Jim Clayton: Who cares?

Randy Black: 00:34:21

Coach Jim Clayton: Just do it.

Randy Black: 00:34:22

It'll fall into place.

Randy Black: 00:34:23

It's the whole idea of fake it till you make it.

Randy Black: 00:34:24

Go.

Randy Black: 00:34:25

You know, you don't if you don't try, you're not going to see if you can be successful.

Randy Black: 00:34:28

That's you know with with doing a podcast

Randy Black: 00:34:31

I jumped out there and said, I'm just gonna do it.

Randy Black: 00:34:33

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm just gonna do it.

Randy Black: 00:34:34

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm gonna do it.

Randy Black: 00:34:35

Coach Jim Clayton: I see your equipment on the table.

Randy Black: 00:34:39

Coach Jim Clayton: But you could show me.

Randy Black: 00:34:40

I and you know I I looked at doing I write I looked at I did.

Randy Black: 00:34:44

I tried to do a podcast for my students when I was teaching at Enslow and that was

Randy Black: 00:34:48,: 2008Randy Black: 00:34:54

Right.

Randy Black: 00:34:55

So I had attempted before

Randy Black: 00:34:56

Well, I got to this and I said, I I want to give people the opportunity to share what they're doing from classrooms, from their schools, to share their stories.

Randy Black: 00:35:05

about whatever related education.

Randy Black: 00:35:08

And I said, I'm just gonna do it.

Randy Black: 00:35:09

And I I contacted a a buddy of mine who was an administrator in Work County at the time.

Randy Black: 00:35:13

He's now over in Berkeley County in the far eastern side of the state.

Randy Black: 00:35:16

Been there.

Randy Black: 00:35:16

And he's like

Randy Black: 00:35:17

He's like, yeah, I'll I'll record with you.

Randy Black: 00:35:19

I contacted uh Mark Moore, who's at the Department of Education as a coordinator in Charleston.

Randy Black: 00:35:23

He's like, Yeah, we'll do it.

Randy Black: 00:35:25

Uh and after I recorded that first night with with Derek,

Randy Black: 00:35:29

I got a and he tweeted something out and said, hey, I just finished recording with with Randy for this podcast.

Randy Black: 00:35:34

He's ready to launch.

Randy Black: 00:35:35

Keep an eye out for it.

Randy Black: 00:35:36

It's going to be coming out.

Randy Black: 00:35:37

I got a direct message from a guy who I didn't know.

Randy Black: 00:35:40

He's a former educator.

Randy Black: 00:35:41

He has an educational consulting business.

Randy Black: 00:35:43

His name's Randall Sampson.

Randy Black: 00:35:44

Dr.

Randy Black: 00:35:45

Sampson, uh, he's up in Columbus.

Randy Black: 00:35:47

And he sent me a message and goes, hey, I saw this.

Randy Black: 00:35:49

He said, I know Derek.

Randy Black: 00:35:50

I've met Derek.

Randy Black: 00:35:51

I've got a book coming out.

Randy Black: 00:35:53

I'd love to go on your podcast to talk to you about it.

Randy Black: 00:35:55

And I was like.

Randy Black: 00:35:57

Works for me.

Randy Black: 00:35:58

So I you know I set that up, started you know, talk to Randall, and he's actually now been on the show twice, been on another time since then.

Randy Black: 00:36:04

You know, I stuck my neck out there to try this.

Randy Black: 00:36:07

And I tell everybody, I'm not I'm not making any money at this.

Randy Black: 00:36:11

My expenses on this are really, really low.

Randy Black: 00:36:13

So I'm not, you know, it's not hurting me.

Randy Black: 00:36:15

I do this because I want to give s people the chance to share their story.

Randy Black: 00:36:21

You know, in education, we spend so much time hearing about the negative in the news.

Randy Black: 00:36:24

Hear about the teacher that got arrested for a DUI or had an inappropriate relationship with the student who

Randy Black: 00:36:31

sent material to a student they shouldn't have.

Randy Black: 00:36:33

You know, I experienced that one directly, but we won't go into it.

Randy Black: 00:36:36

Um that's the stuff that you always hear about.

Randy Black: 00:36:40

You don't hear the positive stuff very often.

Randy Black: 00:36:42

True.

Randy Black: 00:36:43

So this is a platform to get that stuff out there.

Randy Black: 00:36:45

And, you know, it's all about me building the relationships with the people who come on the show.

Randy Black: 00:36:51

And then they can reach out to other people and go, hey, I sat down and talked with Randy.

Randy Black: 00:36:56

And his he has a pretty good podcast.

Randy Black: 00:36:57

You know, we talked about education stuff.

Randy Black: 00:36:59

We just talked.

Randy Black: 00:37:00

And that's the kind of stuff I want to do because it gives people a chance to talk.

Randy Black: 00:37:04

You know, I reached out to you, gosh, it was October of last year when I first reached out.

Randy Black: 00:37:08

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:37:08

And we just never, I never was able to

Randy Black: 00:37:11

to get with you until recently.

Randy Black: 00:37:13

Coach Jim Clayton: I was thrilled when you sent me that.

Randy Black: 00:37:14

And that part of what happened and I didn't tell you about this, part of what happened I had a MRSA infection.

Randy Black: 00:37:19

Oh my God.

Randy Black: 00:37:19

That they had to cut out of my arm.

Randy Black: 00:37:21

Uh so it knocked me out for a little while.

Randy Black: 00:37:23

Um that was that was back in March of this year.

Randy Black: 00:37:25

I was in the hospital for some days, off work for nine and a half.

Randy Black: 00:37:28

And it threw me off a little bit.

Randy Black: 00:37:30

And I've I've started to now get back into it, to get going again with doing this.

Randy Black: 00:37:34

So, you know, for me, this is about sharing people's stories

Randy Black: 00:37:39

It's not about me.

Randy Black: 00:37:40

Right.

Randy Black: 00:37:40

It's never about me.

Randy Black: 00:37:41

No, I'm never about me either.

Randy Black: 00:37:43

You know, but you know, I can sit down with you.

Randy Black: 00:37:45

You know, recently I sat down with Todd Alexander, and you know Todd.

Randy Black: 00:37:48

I sat down with Ryan Sachs, who's now the Superintendent Cabell County.

Randy Black: 00:37:51

I sat down, you know, with my son one day.

Randy Black: 00:37:53

My son and I sat down at our desk at the house and we recorded him talking about, you know, how his school year went and the things he learned and the successes he's having, because that's a story.

Randy Black: 00:38:04

Not just about him, but about the success that his school has.

Randy Black: 00:38:07

Right.

Randy Black: 00:38:08

Because he's at a great school.

Randy Black: 00:38:09

He's at Kellogg Elementary in Wayne County.

Randy Black: 00:38:11

And and it's awesome.

Randy Black: 00:38:12

You know

Randy Black: 00:38:13

Everything is about leveraging something to put out the positive.

Randy Black: 00:38:18

Yes.

Randy Black: 00:38:18

And and you know, like I said at the beginning, the first time I met you, it was all about the positive stuff.

Randy Black: 00:38:23

It was all about positivity and the message you delivered.

Randy Black: 00:38:25

And

Randy Black: 00:38:26

And I'm you know I'm trying to do that now with this too.

Randy Black: 00:38:28

You know, and I see I see what you're doing here.

Randy Black: 00:38:30

Now that you're retired and you're right, you're full time in this business.

Randy Black: 00:38:34

You're traveling all over the place.

Randy Black: 00:38:36

You're working with high schools and teams all across the country.

Randy Black: 00:38:39

Um, you're with Nike.

Randy Black: 00:38:41

You do stuff with Nike and go do coaching clinics.

Randy Black: 00:38:44

You know, that's awesome.

Randy Black: 00:38:45

And it's because you've built that brand built on that positive image and bringing those positive aspects out for students and athletes.

Randy Black: 00:38:54

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's awesome.

Randy Black: 00:38:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Well, I appreciate that.

Randy Black: 00:38:56

Coach Jim Clayton: Well, you know, those old sayings, enthusiasm is is is is caught.

Randy Black: 00:38:59

Coach Jim Clayton: It's not taught.

Randy Black: 00:39:00

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:39:01

Coach Jim Clayton: And so, you know

Randy Black: 00:39:03

Coach Jim Clayton: The thing about it is I asked anybody, I said I asked this year, I said, you guys have known me for twenty years.

Randy Black: 00:39:10

Coach Jim Clayton: Tell me

Randy Black: 00:39:11

Coach Jim Clayton: Am I the same right now as I was?

Randy Black: 00:39:13

Coach Jim Clayton: Am I am I have I lo you're exactly the same.

Randy Black: 00:39:15

Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:39:16

Coach Jim Clayton: That's consistent.

Randy Black: 00:39:17

Coach Jim Clayton: This is what you're gonna get.

Randy Black: 00:39:17

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:39:18

Coach Jim Clayton: When you come here and and so when a when a player comes in here, when a student leaves my classroom, here's the deal.

Randy Black: 00:39:24

Coach Jim Clayton: Here's my thing.

Randy Black: 00:39:25

Coach Jim Clayton: If you're not better going out than you were coming in, I didn't do my job.

Randy Black: 00:39:30

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:39:31

Coach Jim Clayton: That's how I look at it.

Randy Black: 00:39:33

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's got to be on a day-to-day basis.

Randy Black: 00:39:35

Coach Jim Clayton: It doesn't care if I'm not feeling great.

Randy Black: 00:39:38

Coach Jim Clayton: The world don't stop because you're not feeling great.

Randy Black: 00:39:40

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:39:41

Coach Jim Clayton: You gotta get through it.

Randy Black: 00:39:42

Coach Jim Clayton: And I've just learned how to do that.

Randy Black: 00:39:44

Coach Jim Clayton: And it's you know, I'm gonna tell you something else too.

Randy Black: 00:39:46

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, it it

Randy Black: 00:39:47

Coach Jim Clayton: When you're the best way to stay younger is be around younger people.

Randy Black: 00:39:52

Coach Jim Clayton: So I'm always around younger people that got energy.

Randy Black: 00:39:56

Coach Jim Clayton: Sometimes it's in it's all over the place.

Randy Black: 00:39:58

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:39:58

Coach Jim Clayton: I can deal with that because I was all over the place too.

Randy Black: 00:40:00

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm I'm just I'm exactly like that.

Randy Black: 00:40:02

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh-huh.

Randy Black: 00:40:03

Coach Jim Clayton: And

Randy Black: 00:40:04

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, making them feel good, making them be come they know where they're coming, part of the team.

Randy Black: 00:40:09

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, nobody's really it doesn't matter how smart y'all doesn't have a good jar or how if you're at where where your level is of what you're doing

Randy Black: 00:40:16

Coach Jim Clayton: you're all accepted exactly the same.

Randy Black: 00:40:18

Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:40:19

Coach Jim Clayton: And see in a lot of places it's not like that.

Randy Black: 00:40:21

Coach Jim Clayton: And when kids find that a that vehicle

Randy Black: 00:40:24

Coach Jim Clayton: Boy, they like to get in it right.

Randy Black: 00:40:26

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh-huh.

Randy Black: 00:40:26

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, like I s I've been fortunate enough to do it.

Randy Black: 00:40:29

Coach Jim Clayton: I've I've taken something that I've wanted to do.

Randy Black: 00:40:32

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, I mean, for me I've worked

Randy Black: 00:40:36

Coach Jim Clayton: For twenty-five years, I've worked pretty much 18 hours a day every day.

Randy Black: 00:40:41

Coach Jim Clayton: So like on some days when I used to just go not have to I would have to not I wouldn't necessarily be here and I'd go to teach for eight hours, I think I was working a half a day.

Randy Black: 00:40:50

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, so but I I I I you know I knew what I wanted to do.

Randy Black: 00:40:55

Coach Jim Clayton: The passion gave me the energy and the drive to do it.

Randy Black: 00:41:00

Coach Jim Clayton: And I've never lost it.

Randy Black: 00:41:02

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I've never lost it in all those years.

Randy Black: 00:41:04

And that that's the hard thing for so many people.

Randy Black: 00:41:06

Coach Jim Clayton: I've never lost it

Randy Black: 00:41:07

Coach Jim Clayton: And I think I got it maybe more now than I ever have.

Randy Black: 00:41:11

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:41:11

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't know necessarily how or why I got it

Randy Black: 00:41:15

Coach Jim Clayton: I just know well I do kind of know how my God.

Randy Black: 00:41:18

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean a lot of people don't know, but you know, I was involved in a real serious accident when I was like 12, and I broke my neck, and I spent about 10 months in hospital flat on my back

Randy Black: 00:41:27

Coach Jim Clayton: And I was paralyzed for a while.

Randy Black: 00:41:30

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

Randy Black: 00:41:30

Coach Jim Clayton: And I broke my C1, two, three, four, five.

Randy Black: 00:41:32

Coach Jim Clayton: Blew them out.

Randy Black: 00:41:33

Coach Jim Clayton: Most people don't even survive on one of those.

Randy Black: 00:41:35

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:41:35

Coach Jim Clayton: I blew all five of them out.

Randy Black: 00:41:37

Coach Jim Clayton: And I was paralyzed for a while.

Randy Black: 00:41:39

Coach Jim Clayton: And things were not looking really good for me.

Randy Black: 00:41:42

Coach Jim Clayton: And I really shouldn't even be alive, according to the medical experts.

Randy Black: 00:41:46

Coach Jim Clayton: But, you know, I re the paralysis went away

Randy Black: 00:41:49

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh I grew a foot.

Randy Black: 00:41:52

Coach Jim Clayton: I learned how to do something with I learned how to shoot a basketball that I never did before.

Randy Black: 00:41:58

Coach Jim Clayton: I got in a game.

Randy Black: 00:42:00

Coach Jim Clayton: I've stayed in a game.

Randy Black: 00:42:01

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:42:02

Coach Jim Clayton: It's just changed different different perspectives of the game.

Randy Black: 00:42:05

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, when when you get a second lease on life,

Randy Black: 00:42:10

Coach Jim Clayton: It's hard for somebody to understand that that's never been there.

Randy Black: 00:42:13

Right.

Randy Black: 00:42:13

Coach Jim Clayton: Where today you're not sure if you're going to see tomorrow.

Randy Black: 00:42:16

Coach Jim Clayton: And you do get a chance, there's only one reason I'm sitting here.

Randy Black: 00:42:19

Coach Jim Clayton: Only one reason.

Randy Black: 00:42:20

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's the man upstairs.

Randy Black: 00:42:22

Coach Jim Clayton: There's no other reason that I'm here.

Randy Black: 00:42:25

Coach Jim Clayton: And he had a plan for me.

Randy Black: 00:42:28

Coach Jim Clayton: And this was my plan.

Randy Black: 00:42:30

Coach Jim Clayton: And it's not over yet.

Randy Black: 00:42:32

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

Randy Black: 00:42:32

Coach Jim Clayton: It's not even close to being over.

Randy Black: 00:42:35

Coach Jim Clayton: For me.

Randy Black: 00:42:36

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, it's not just about this gym.

Randy Black: 00:42:39

Coach Jim Clayton: It's this a big world out there.

Randy Black: 00:42:41

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and through technology and things, you can conquer the world and be out there and never leave this room

Randy Black: 00:42:48

Coach Jim Clayton: Which I want to learn about.

Randy Black: 00:42:50

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

Randy Black: 00:42:51

Coach Jim Clayton: And you know, that's the stuff that floats my boat every day, man.

Randy Black: 00:42:55

Coach Jim Clayton: I get up fired up about it every day.

Randy Black: 00:42:58

Coach Jim Clayton: you know, learning new things.

Randy Black: 00:43:00

Coach Jim Clayton: I have people I listen to every day, John Maxwell.

Randy Black: 00:43:03

Coach Jim Clayton: I talk to him.

Randy Black: 00:43:04

Coach Jim Clayton: He's sharing ideas and things I can do.

Randy Black: 00:43:06

Coach Jim Clayton: And then I go share with other people.

Randy Black: 00:43:08

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's all it is.

Randy Black: 00:43:09

Coach Jim Clayton: It's a game.

Randy Black: 00:43:09

Coach Jim Clayton: I didn't come up with it.

Randy Black: 00:43:10

Coach Jim Clayton: We don't come up with everything that we learn.

Randy Black: 00:43:12

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:43:13

Coach Jim Clayton: We acquire it through people sharing it.

Randy Black: 00:43:15

Coach Jim Clayton: Some things I have

Randy Black: 00:43:18

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:43:18

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm a trailblazer.

Randy Black: 00:43:19

Coach Jim Clayton: I didn't drive down the road.

Randy Black: 00:43:21

Coach Jim Clayton: I paved the road.

Randy Black: 00:43:22

Coach Jim Clayton: Now a lot of people are pa are are getting the benefits of that right now

Randy Black: 00:43:26

Coach Jim Clayton: So I've had the opportunity to in influence people to go into this and, you know, the question is, you know, will you stay as long as I did

Randy Black: 00:43:34

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, it's tough.

Randy Black: 00:43:35

Coach Jim Clayton: It's hard.

Randy Black: 00:43:36

Coach Jim Clayton: It's hard.

Randy Black: 00:43:36

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh, because teaching's not easy.

Randy Black: 00:43:38

Coach Jim Clayton: My friends go, Oh, you just teach school.

Randy Black: 00:43:40

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, let me tell you something, buddy.

Randy Black: 00:43:42

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, let me tell you something.

Randy Black: 00:43:44

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, you when you can't talk to your kid about something, let me tell you I can.

Randy Black: 00:43:48

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, when you can't get to the I mean, I saw this the other day and I got it somewhere

Randy Black: 00:43:53

Coach Jim Clayton: And this gentleman was talking about, oh you do is teach.

Randy Black: 00:43:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Well let me tell you what I do.

Randy Black: 00:43:57

Coach Jim Clayton: This guy, I don't know if you've seen that guy.

Randy Black: 00:43:59

Coach Jim Clayton: I've seen it to send it to a lot of people.

Randy Black: 00:44:02

Coach Jim Clayton: He nailed it.

Randy Black: 00:44:03

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:44:03

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh my gosh, did he nail it?

Randy Black: 00:44:05

Coach Jim Clayton: And at the end of the day, man.

Randy Black: 00:44:07

Coach Jim Clayton: Man, I'm I I'm mentally tired because I put my heart and soul into everything that I do every day.

Randy Black: 00:44:16

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't take a period off.

Randy Black: 00:44:18

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't put

Randy Black: 00:44:19

Coach Jim Clayton: Worksheets out.

Randy Black: 00:44:20

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:44:21

Coach Jim Clayton: Sit and get.

Randy Black: 00:44:22

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't do that stuff.

Randy Black: 00:44:23

Coach Jim Clayton: My training and cut teaching and coaching is hands-on.

Randy Black: 00:44:26

Coach Jim Clayton: Let's go right now.

Randy Black: 00:44:28

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

Randy Black: 00:44:28

Coach Jim Clayton: And you're feeling what I'm feeling

Randy Black: 00:44:31

Coach Jim Clayton: And so that's why, you know, th I think my style was it has a little uniqueness to it.

Randy Black: 00:44:37

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's what I was tell people.

Randy Black: 00:44:40

Coach Jim Clayton: And I tell them all the time, I told it in my class, my camp, I had a classroom.

Randy Black: 00:44:43

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, it's about preparation, the process, and the price.

Randy Black: 00:44:48

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, you gotta do all those things.

Randy Black: 00:44:51

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, you you have to you have to do all those things.

Randy Black: 00:44:55

Coach Jim Clayton: And

Randy Black: 00:44:55

Coach Jim Clayton: You can't just get it overnight and you gotta keep working it on your craft.

Randy Black: 00:44:59

Coach Jim Clayton: You gotta keep polishing your craft, you know, and you can keep getting better at it

Randy Black: 00:45:04

Coach Jim Clayton: And we we talked about that in the classroom.

Randy Black: 00:45:07

Coach Jim Clayton: And I've gotten so many things back.

Randy Black: 00:45:09

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, this year when you go to do a paper in class.

Randy Black: 00:45:12

Coach Jim Clayton: You get these notes that we went on today.

Randy Black: 00:45:15

Coach Jim Clayton: You're gonna have some good stuff to talk about.

Randy Black: 00:45:17

Coach Jim Clayton: You're gonna have some good content to blow it up.

Randy Black: 00:45:20

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:45:20

Coach Jim Clayton: And I got that from other people.

Randy Black: 00:45:23

Coach Jim Clayton: Those are things that are shared with me.

Randy Black: 00:45:25

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, so you know it's just a game of adding value to others.

Randy Black: 00:45:28

Coach Jim Clayton: That's really what this game is all about.

Randy Black: 00:45:31

Coach Jim Clayton: All we're doing right now, we're talking.

Randy Black: 00:45:34

Coach Jim Clayton: Somebody's gonna hear this.

Randy Black: 00:45:35

Coach Jim Clayton: Something we might say that we don't seem to be important at all.

Randy Black: 00:45:38

But it can mean the world to them.

Randy Black: 00:45:39

Coach Jim Clayton: It could mean the world to them.

Randy Black: 00:45:41

Coach Jim Clayton: And it might have been something that made their day.

Randy Black: 00:45:43

Coach Jim Clayton: And when you make somebody's day

Randy Black: 00:45:46

Coach Jim Clayton: There ain't a profession out there that can tap into that, man.

Randy Black: 00:45:50

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh no.

Randy Black: 00:45:51

Coach Jim Clayton: Teaching the coaches.

Randy Black: 00:45:52

Coach Jim Clayton: And people that have never done it, you don't really understand it, and I wish you did.

Randy Black: 00:45:56

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay

Randy Black: 00:45:57

Coach Jim Clayton: But uh, you know, I love it.

Randy Black: 00:45:59

Coach Jim Clayton: I know you love it, and you know, I'm learning, I'm still learning, and I'm tickled to death that we're even sitting here today having this conversation.

Randy Black: 00:46:08

So, you know, you've had over 30 years for you were teaching and then and coaching and working here at your business.

Randy Black: 00:46:15

And I know in that time.

Randy Black: 00:46:17

you've had some people who've been extremely influential to you.

Randy Black: 00:46:20

And before we you know before we start talking, I talked about Joe Bryson, someone we both know.

Randy Black: 00:46:23

Coach Jim Clayton: Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:46:24

Both knew very well.

Randy Black: 00:46:25

And Joe was extremely instr it extremely influential on me in the time I worked for him because Joe was my boss.

Randy Black: 00:46:32

And I know you've got people like that.

Randy Black: 00:46:33

So who are some of those people that inspired you and were influential on you?

Randy Black: 00:46:37

Coach Jim Clayton: Well, you know, probably uh you know, I obviously I was lucky enough to have some pretty good coaches.

Randy Black: 00:46:42

Coach Jim Clayton: Coach Coach Carlos Acres at Camac.

Randy Black: 00:46:45

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh

Randy Black: 00:46:45

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, he had confidence in me when I had none in myself.

Randy Black: 00:46:48

Coach Jim Clayton: I was coming off that injury.

Randy Black: 00:46:50

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:46:50

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I didn't even think I could play.

Randy Black: 00:46:52

Coach Jim Clayton: I wasn't one of the stars, you know, back in fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade, I was just the last guy on the bench.

Randy Black: 00:46:59

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:46:59

Coach Jim Clayton: I was just the guy, I might have got on a team, but I was never in the game.

Randy Black: 00:47:04

Coach Jim Clayton: And I didn't really see that I was ever going to beat any of those guys because I thought and he says, you know, he's the one that gave me the confidence and to do it and

Randy Black: 00:47:12

Coach Jim Clayton: And then I got to high school and, you know, and and you know, I had s t couple of coaches, Coach Gene Ratcoff was one of 'em.

Randy Black: 00:47:19

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and I told his wife one time, I said, uh when he passed away, I said, you know, I probably shaved twenty five years off your husband's life because

Randy Black: 00:47:26

Coach Jim Clayton: He wore me out.

Randy Black: 00:47:27

Coach Jim Clayton: I thought his head was going to pop off his head, his shoulders some days because he was screaming at me so hard.

Randy Black: 00:47:32

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, I know he I interrupted a lot of your meals, and I said, I apologize

Randy Black: 00:47:38

Coach Jim Clayton: And she says, you don't even know.

Randy Black: 00:47:40

Coach Jim Clayton: She goes, you were the topic of conversation a lot at our table, but it really wasn't a negative thing, you know.

Randy Black: 00:47:46

Coach Jim Clayton: And I tell you probably the funniest one

Randy Black: 00:47:49

Coach Jim Clayton: was the one that you would you you know as a teacher again and it was the subject that I hate the worst

Randy Black: 00:47:57

Coach Jim Clayton: It's math.

Randy Black: 00:47:59

Coach Jim Clayton: And I had this lady for geometry, algebra, algebra too, her name was Shirley McClanahan

Randy Black: 00:48:06

Coach Jim Clayton: And she was in Cabell County for a lot, and she got out of the the math part and actually was one of the first to get into computer side of technology in Cabo County.

Randy Black: 00:48:16

Coach Jim Clayton: And she was probably five foot tall.

Randy Black: 00:48:20

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and had a little space between her teeth.

Randy Black: 00:48:24

Coach Jim Clayton: I could still see it.

Randy Black: 00:48:25

Coach Jim Clayton: He'd smack me on the back of the head.

Randy Black: 00:48:27

Coach Jim Clayton: You're gonna get this.

Randy Black: 00:48:28

Coach Jim Clayton: She came to every game at the Memorial Field House.

Randy Black: 00:48:31

Coach Jim Clayton: She could barely see over the

Randy Black: 00:48:33

Coach Jim Clayton: The the the the the railing across the thing and she'd watch, man.

Randy Black: 00:48:38

Coach Jim Clayton: And I couldn't get it.

Randy Black: 00:48:39

Coach Jim Clayton: She goes, let me tell you something

Randy Black: 00:48:41

Coach Jim Clayton: When you drove in last night, shot that bank shot.

Randy Black: 00:48:43

Coach Jim Clayton: That angle that you shot and hit that shot, that's exactly what this means

Randy Black: 00:48:49

Coach Jim Clayton: That's what that means.

Randy Black: 00:48:50

Coach Jim Clayton: That's what that means.

Randy Black: 00:48:51

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:48:52

Coach Jim Clayton: I had teachers.

Randy Black: 00:48:54

Coach Jim Clayton: Most of my my my people that really were big influences in my life were teachers.

Randy Black: 00:49:01

Coach Jim Clayton: There were teachers.

Randy Black: 00:49:02

Coach Jim Clayton: And they I I I might have hated the subject, but I love the teacher.

Randy Black: 00:49:09

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:49:09

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

Randy Black: 00:49:10

Coach Jim Clayton: And they got me to do things that they're

Randy Black: 00:49:12

Coach Jim Clayton: I can't believe I did it.

Randy Black: 00:49:14

Coach Jim Clayton: Because I did it.

Randy Black: 00:49:14

Coach Jim Clayton: Had to do it because I w couldn't have graduated if I didn't.

Randy Black: 00:49:17

Coach Jim Clayton: Right.

Randy Black: 00:49:18

Coach Jim Clayton: And, you know, people like that, you know, as I've gotten older, you know, it's people that have given you chances, that saw something in you.

Randy Black: 00:49:24

Coach Jim Clayton: Really that other people

Randy Black: 00:49:26

Coach Jim Clayton: They don't see any.

Randy Black: 00:49:27

Coach Jim Clayton: They give you a chance.

Randy Black: 00:49:28

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and that's all you need.

Randy Black: 00:49:30

Coach Jim Clayton: If I can get my foot in the door, I'm diving in, son, and I ain't looking back.

Randy Black: 00:49:35

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, you're not gonna outwork me, you're not gonna out enthusiast me.

Randy Black: 00:49:38

Coach Jim Clayton: You might be smarter than me.

Randy Black: 00:49:39

Coach Jim Clayton: Because I never was claimed to fame to be the smartest.

Randy Black: 00:49:42

Coach Jim Clayton: I was not the valid victoria.

Randy Black: 00:49:44

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:49:44

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay, but you know, rumor the statistics prove

Randy Black: 00:49:46

Coach Jim Clayton: 'Cause I remember taking statistics in college.

Randy Black: 00:49:49

Coach Jim Clayton: Statistics proved that a lot of valuictorians really end up being subport people.

Randy Black: 00:49:53

Coach Jim Clayton: They were just masters of the four walls.

Randy Black: 00:49:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah

Randy Black: 00:49:56

Coach Jim Clayton: And they were smart and they could retain information, but as far as like being people people and knowing street stuff in the way of the world, they really didn't comprehend that, okay?

Randy Black: 00:50:05

Coach Jim Clayton: They were so smart, they were off the charts.

Randy Black: 00:50:07

Coach Jim Clayton: But common sense wise and making day-to-day decisions, they weren't even on the charts.

Randy Black: 00:50:10

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:50:11

Coach Jim Clayton: And so, you know, those were some some some of the people I, you know, I mean

Randy Black: 00:50:16

Coach Jim Clayton: John Maxwell's obviously been a big one, you know what I mean, because you know I got a tape from him one time.

Randy Black: 00:50:21

Coach Jim Clayton: Somebody just gave it to me.

Randy Black: 00:50:22

Coach Jim Clayton: It says, Growing yourself, growing others, and growing together.

Randy Black: 00:50:26

Coach Jim Clayton: I put that tape in my car and I left it in there for one year.

Randy Black: 00:50:29

Coach Jim Clayton: I never took it out.

Randy Black: 00:50:30

Coach Jim Clayton: And I listened to it three or four times a week.

Randy Black: 00:50:34

Coach Jim Clayton: Anytime I was on the road, which that's my kind of my mobile classroom, I'm always listening to people.

Randy Black: 00:50:38

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:50:39

Coach Jim Clayton: And I just listened at and listened.

Randy Black: 00:50:41

Coach Jim Clayton: And I said, that's where

Randy Black: 00:50:43

Coach Jim Clayton: And I started reading his books.

Randy Black: 00:50:45

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's when I started teaching some book club things in s in in high school.

Randy Black: 00:50:50

Coach Jim Clayton: With Regina Signers up Campbell Midland.

Randy Black: 00:50:52

Coach Jim Clayton: We bought books and we did.

Randy Black: 00:50:53

Coach Jim Clayton: I never did anything like that

Randy Black: 00:50:55

Coach Jim Clayton: But to probably the funniest one was one of my my my and that people find this hard to believe, but it was the last class I took in college.

Randy Black: 00:51:03

Coach Jim Clayton: I couldn't graduate.

Randy Black: 00:51:04

Coach Jim Clayton: I said, you don't take his class?

Randy Black: 00:51:05

Coach Jim Clayton: You may graduate.

Randy Black: 00:51:07

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:51:07

Coach Jim Clayton: And it was my speech teacher.

Randy Black: 00:51:10

Coach Jim Clayton: And I I couldn't take that class.

Randy Black: 00:51:14

Coach Jim Clayton: I couldn't get up in front of people and take that class.

Randy Black: 00:51:16

Coach Jim Clayton: I could get on a court and do anything, but I couldn't get you know

Randy Black: 00:51:20

Coach Jim Clayton: Public spew, phobia, number one in America.

Randy Black: 00:51:22

Coach Jim Clayton: I took the class.

Randy Black: 00:51:23

Coach Jim Clayton: And when the class was over, I kicked myself every day.

Randy Black: 00:51:27

Coach Jim Clayton: Why didn't I take that first?

Randy Black: 00:51:28

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:51:29

Coach Jim Clayton: Because I had so much fun in that class.

Randy Black: 00:51:31

Coach Jim Clayton: But she got me to get up there and do things.

Randy Black: 00:51:34

Coach Jim Clayton: But I didn't think I could do.

Randy Black: 00:51:36

Coach Jim Clayton: And really, that's what it all comes down to.

Randy Black: 00:51:40

Coach Jim Clayton: Getting people to think, man, you got an area of uniqueness.

Randy Black: 00:51:46

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's what I tell people all the time.

Randy Black: 00:51:48

Coach Jim Clayton: What is yours?

Randy Black: 00:51:49

Coach Jim Clayton: You're developing, you're finding it right here.

Randy Black: 00:51:52

Coach Jim Clayton: You got an area in here.

Randy Black: 00:51:53

Coach Jim Clayton: You're good at this.

Randy Black: 00:51:55

Coach Jim Clayton: And find your area and stay in it

Randy Black: 00:51:59

Coach Jim Clayton: Because when you get out of it, you're not unique anymore.

Randy Black: 00:52:03

Coach Jim Clayton: And everybody has that area of uniqueness, but the majority of people in the world have never figured out what it is.

Randy Black: 00:52:10

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's sad to me

Randy Black: 00:52:12

Coach Jim Clayton: But I f I now know what mine is.

Randy Black: 00:52:15

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:52:16

Coach Jim Clayton: Now, mine's not doing all the computer work itself, you know what I mean, and doing editing.

Randy Black: 00:52:22

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm not that guy.

Randy Black: 00:52:23

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm the guy right here.

Randy Black: 00:52:25

Coach Jim Clayton: Up front.

Randy Black: 00:52:26

Coach Jim Clayton: Let's get it.

Randy Black: 00:52:27

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay?

Randy Black: 00:52:28

Coach Jim Clayton: But you can always get other people to do that.

Randy Black: 00:52:30

Oh yeah.

Randy Black: 00:52:30

Coach Jim Clayton: There's aren't there's people that are really good at that.

Randy Black: 00:52:32

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:52:32

Coach Jim Clayton: Well they gotta stick to their area.

Randy Black: 00:52:35

Coach Jim Clayton: And I've just learned how to stick to mine.

Randy Black: 00:52:37

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:52:37

Coach Jim Clayton: And I try not to get out of it.

Randy Black: 00:52:39

Coach Jim Clayton: And sometimes I do because I have a hard time saying no.

Randy Black: 00:52:43

Coach Jim Clayton: And there's only so many hours in the day.

Randy Black: 00:52:45

Yeah.

Randy Black: 00:52:46

Coach Jim Clayton: And today ends at twelve oh one.

Randy Black: 00:52:48

Coach Jim Clayton: And I can't live off tomorrow.

Randy Black: 00:52:50

Coach Jim Clayton: T I can't live off what I did today tomorrow.

Randy Black: 00:52:53

Coach Jim Clayton: T tomorrow's a new day.

Randy Black: 00:52:54

Coach Jim Clayton: But you know, I I mean

Randy Black: 00:52:56

Coach Jim Clayton: Teachers have had a major influence, and I'm sure teachers have had a major interest in you and you know just just just people, just common people

Randy Black: 00:53:05

Coach Jim Clayton: That really didn't know the powers that they had.

Randy Black: 00:53:08

Yep.

Randy Black: 00:53:09

Coach Jim Clayton: If that makes sense.

Randy Black: 00:53:10

Oh, it makes sense.

Randy Black: 00:53:11

And I've had, you know, and I know you've had this, I've had students come back to me and say

Randy Black: 00:53:15

You know, you you know, I may not have ac I may not have acted in the you know, it when I had you in class that I appreciated you, but after the fact

Randy Black: 00:53:23

I do, and here's why.

Randy Black: 00:53:24

And they would tell me why.

Randy Black: 00:53:25

You know, I had a couple kids at Cabal Midland.

Randy Black: 00:53:27

My first year there, I was teaching sociology.

Randy Black: 00:53:30

And

Randy Black: 00:53:31

They you know where they were seniors, they were preparing to go to college, and after two years, I got an email from two of them uh two years later that said, Hey, I had to take intro sociology at Marshall.

Randy Black: 00:53:43

And I didn't have to do anything to prep to prepare for that class.

Randy Black: 00:53:46

So you taught me everything already.

Randy Black: 00:53:48

Said I want to say thank you for that.

Randy Black: 00:53:50

And I I gave them more skills in that content area.

Randy Black: 00:53:54

So they could be prepared for it.

Randy Black: 00:53:56

And we did more stuff in that high school class than they did in the college class.

Randy Black: 00:54:00

And they were excited because they walked in like

Randy Black: 00:54:02

This was great.

Randy Black: 00:54:03

I didn't have to work hard because I already knew the content and I already knew how to apply it.

Randy Black: 00:54:07

And I was so happy with that.

Randy Black: 00:54:08

Um as we're finishing up, because I know you probably have some stuff going on.

Randy Black: 00:54:13

Yeah, another guy's couple workouts.

Randy Black: 00:54:15

What is it that you want Jimmy Clayton to be remembered for?

Randy Black: 00:54:20

I wait till the end to hit you with the tough one.

Randy Black: 00:54:22

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah, that's a good one.

Randy Black: 00:54:23

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:54:23

Coach Jim Clayton: Um Yeah, I I I thought about this for a long time.

Randy Black: 00:54:27

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh

Randy Black: 00:54:28

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, and you know I I I I heard somebody say, if you had to write your your you know, your youth in one word, what would it be?

Randy Black: 00:54:39

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:54:40

Coach Jim Clayton: How what what would you and I you know, i I I I thought about that for a while and you know, it's just like I was passionate.

Randy Black: 00:54:48

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:54:49

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:54:50

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh consistent.

Randy Black: 00:54:53

Coach Jim Clayton: uh um caring, you know, um you know uh

Randy Black: 00:55:04

Positive.

Randy Black: 00:55:05

Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:55:07

Okay.

Randy Black: 00:55:08

It's like I said, that's been that's been my impression of you for over twenty years.

Randy Black: 00:55:12

Coach Jim Clayton: Really, you know, I I'm the same I I'm the same to everybody, really.

Randy Black: 00:55:15

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:55:16

Coach Jim Clayton: I've never met a stranger, really, hardly.

Randy Black: 00:55:18

Coach Jim Clayton: And uh uh I I've been, you know, like I said, man, it's passionate.

Randy Black: 00:55:23

Coach Jim Clayton: It's just it's just that's my energy level.

Randy Black: 00:55:26

Coach Jim Clayton: I I I'm the same all the time.

Randy Black: 00:55:29

Coach Jim Clayton: And uh and and that's really me.

Randy Black: 00:55:32

Coach Jim Clayton: That's that's it.

Randy Black: 00:55:32

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean, like I told you people want to know how much you care for they care how much you know.

Randy Black: 00:55:36

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:55:36

Coach Jim Clayton: And you know, I mean when you say care, well he was a nice guy.

Randy Black: 00:55:39

Coach Jim Clayton: No, you know, he's not everybody's not nice all the time.

Randy Black: 00:55:43

Coach Jim Clayton: That's a fact.

Randy Black: 00:55:44

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean, except for dogs.

Randy Black: 00:55:45

Coach Jim Clayton: My dog right here, Alfie, he's the nice, he's never been anything but nice to meet every minute I've known him.

Randy Black: 00:55:50

Coach Jim Clayton: But everybody's not that way, okay?

Randy Black: 00:55:53

Coach Jim Clayton: But

Randy Black: 00:55:54

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, when when you look at you know, uh uh everybody's not understanding all the time.

Randy Black: 00:55:58

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean you live and you learn, okay?

Randy Black: 00:56:00

Coach Jim Clayton: But you know, I I I have been passionate about what I do day in, day out.

Randy Black: 00:56:05

Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:56:06

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh and

Randy Black: 00:56:07

Coach Jim Clayton: That pretty much covers everything.

Randy Black: 00:56:09

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm passionate about what I taught.

Randy Black: 00:56:10

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm passionate about way I coach.

Randy Black: 00:56:12

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm passionate about I teach somebody how to shoot

Randy Black: 00:56:16

Coach Jim Clayton: I teach them how to dribble, you know, I'm not going to I'm not going I'm going to give you one hundred percent of me every day

Randy Black: 00:56:24

Coach Jim Clayton: And that's pretty much what I do every day.

Randy Black: 00:56:28

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't care what it is, and I never stop.

Randy Black: 00:56:31

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I don't quit when I'm tired, I quit when I'm done.

Randy Black: 00:56:34

Coach Jim Clayton: And you know, that's kinda me.

Randy Black: 00:56:38

Coach Jim Clayton: That's Jimmy Clay.

Randy Black: 00:56:39

Coach Jim Clayton: That's me.

Randy Black: 00:56:40

Coach Jim Clayton: So enthusiastic, you know, positive.

Randy Black: 00:56:43

Coach Jim Clayton: Got a

Randy Black: 00:56:44

So as we're finishing up, I wanna say thank you.

Randy Black: 00:56:46

I appreciate you taking the time to to sit down with me.

Randy Black: 00:56:49

Is there anything you just wanna share?

Randy Black: 00:56:51

Anything else you you wanna throw out there from a listeners?

Randy Black: 00:56:53

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, you we've covered a lot of stuff, you know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:56:55

Coach Jim Clayton: And it's all stuff that's really important to me.

Randy Black: 00:56:57

Coach Jim Clayton: And it's things that I

Randy Black: 00:56:59

Coach Jim Clayton: that I kind of uh live, eat and breathe on every day.

Randy Black: 00:57:03

Coach Jim Clayton: And uh, you know, I would just tell people, you know, just again, find that area.

Randy Black: 00:57:08

Coach Jim Clayton: Find your area.

Randy Black: 00:57:10

Coach Jim Clayton: Find your area.

Randy Black: 00:57:11

Coach Jim Clayton: Get around people that are, and the big thing is get around people in your life that are fire lighters.

Randy Black: 00:57:17

Coach Jim Clayton: They make your flame bigger.

Randy Black: 00:57:18

Yep.

Randy Black: 00:57:19

Coach Jim Clayton: Not people that put your flame out.

Randy Black: 00:57:21

Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:57:21

Coach Jim Clayton: And I saw a tweet today from a guy that I coached in the MBA, a guy by the name of Kenny Anderson.

Randy Black: 00:57:26

Coach Jim Clayton: Kenny was the best player they say to come out of New York.

Randy Black: 00:57:29

Coach Jim Clayton: Play for the Nets, play for Georgia Tech.

Randy Black: 00:57:31

Coach Jim Clayton: Unbelievable guy.

Randy Black: 00:57:32

Coach Jim Clayton: And he's made this statement, which is so true about the society today.

Randy Black: 00:57:36

Coach Jim Clayton: He says, it really upsets me that people can't be happy for other people's successes.

Randy Black: 00:57:43

Coach Jim Clayton: And you really think about that, in every way, shape, and form of everything that we do, people are just torn up with that

Randy Black: 00:57:51

Coach Jim Clayton: and be happy for other people's successes.

Randy Black: 00:57:54

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:57:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:57:56

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, there's too many things to be happy about and unfortunately

Randy Black: 00:58:00

Coach Jim Clayton: the world as finds all the negative in the world.

Randy Black: 00:58:02

Coach Jim Clayton: So find the positive people in your life.

Randy Black: 00:58:05

Coach Jim Clayton: Find the people that bring out the best in you.

Randy Black: 00:58:07

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:58:07

Coach Jim Clayton: Find the people because there's an a there's a statement that says you become the average of the five people you associate with.

Randy Black: 00:58:12

Coach Jim Clayton: Mm-hmm

Randy Black: 00:58:13

Coach Jim Clayton: So you better look at the five people you associate.

Randy Black: 00:58:16

Coach Jim Clayton: If you're trying to move up, but you're staying around people that are just happy where the where they are, they're content

Randy Black: 00:58:22

Coach Jim Clayton: Okay.

Randy Black: 00:58:22

Coach Jim Clayton: I mean, you know, uh success is is a can you know it is is a content disease, man, because people that are happy where they are, I said they're not going anywhere.

Randy Black: 00:58:31

Mm-hmm.

Randy Black: 00:58:32

Coach Jim Clayton: And so you gotta keep

Randy Black: 00:58:34

Coach Jim Clayton: Moving out.

Randy Black: 00:58:35

Coach Jim Clayton: Keep climbing up.

Randy Black: 00:58:43

Coach Jim Clayton: wants any information or any way I could help 'em.

Randy Black: 00:58:45

Coach Jim Clayton: I don't have to know them to help them.

Randy Black: 00:58:47

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what I mean?

Randy Black: 00:58:48

Coach Jim Clayton: Uh there's ways to get I mean I'm on Instagram, I'm on Facebook.

Randy Black: 00:58:51

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm on Facebook.

Randy Black: 00:58:52

Coach Jim Clayton: That was my next question.

Randy Black: 00:58:53

Coach Jim Clayton: How can people find you, Jimmy?

Randy Black: 00:58:55

Coach Jim Clayton: I got my own Jim Clayton Facebook page.

Randy Black: 00:58:57

Coach Jim Clayton: I've got uh an Instagram page.

Randy Black: 00:58:59

Coach Jim Clayton: I got my business page, and I have a Jim Clayton, like Jim underscore with two Ns Clayton, have an own a motivational page which is

Randy Black: 00:59:07

Coach Jim Clayton: That's a pretty cool page.

Randy Black: 00:59:08

Coach Jim Clayton: I've got Twitter, SCU hoops.

Randy Black: 00:59:11

Yep.

Randy Black: 00:59:11

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm on there all the time.

Randy Black: 00:59:13

And I'm go I'm I'll I'll throw links to all this.

Randy Black: 00:59:16

So if anybody wants to if you send me something.

Randy Black: 00:59:19

Coach Jim Clayton: If you see something that you think I would like, oh by all means share it with me, man, because

Randy Black: 00:59:25

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm a sponge.

Randy Black: 00:59:27

Coach Jim Clayton: I'm a sucker for people that share stuff.

Randy Black: 00:59:29

Coach Jim Clayton: I love it.

Randy Black: 00:59:30

Coach Jim Clayton: It makes my brain I twist it.

Randy Black: 00:59:32

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I look at that and I go

Randy Black: 00:59:33

Coach Jim Clayton: I see it a different way.

Randy Black: 00:59:35

Coach Jim Clayton: My brain just works totally different than than most people's.

Randy Black: 00:59:38

Coach Jim Clayton: And uh, you know, like I said, I was just I'm just tickled to death to have an opportunity to sit here and and and share some things with you and

Randy Black: 00:59:46

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, I'm bl I'm blessed to have be able to do what I like to do and I I'm I'm healthy enough at the current moment, knock on wood, but I'm still rolling with the punches.

Randy Black: 00:59:55

Coach Jim Clayton: Yeah and uh I'm gonna keep rolling as long as I can keep rolling.

Randy Black: 01:00:00

Coach Jim Clayton: And I really appreciate it.

Randy Black: 01:00:02

I appreciate you taking the time, Jimmy.

Randy Black: 01:00:03

Coach Jim Clayton: And I'll tell you this last thing.

Randy Black: 01:00:05

Coach Jim Clayton: You know, believe in yourself or nobody else will.

Randy Black: 01:00:08

Coach Jim Clayton: Set the bar high, achieve greatness, and stay motivated through the process.

Randy Black: 01:00:12

Coach Jim Clayton: You know what that spells?

Randy Black: 01:00:13

Coach Jim Clayton: BAM, son.

Randy Black: 01:00:17

Thanks guys for listening.

Randy Black: 01:00:19

I really appreciate it.

Randy Black: 01:00:20

Uh another time that we've had Jim on the show in trying to do our best to remember him.

Randy Black: 01:00:27

So until we put something else out here.

Randy Black: 01:00:30

on the feed remember that we want you to do everything you can to live your life with purpose do things in a way that you want to be remembered so remember to always keep shooting it straight

Randy Black: 01:00:43

Coach Jim Clayton: BAM, Son!

BAM, Son!: Believe, Achieve, Motivate—Remembering Coach Jim Clayton

Transcript

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