NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- When you mention the name Jim Shannon in southern Indiana, people know exactly who you're talking about.
He's he coach who helped NBA first-round pick Romeo Langford hone his skills. Hes the coach who lead the New Albany Bulldogs to the state title in 2016. He's the coach who has undefeated seasons under his belt.
"I've always admired him as a coach," New Albany sophomore Tucker Biven said.
But what you may not know about Shannon is he just netted his 400th home win as the leader of this basketball team.
"We saw it in the newspaper. That's how we found out," senior player Julien Hunter said. "He didn't even make a big deal about it."
Make no mistake: It is a big deal.
"I was glad that we did it, and I'm glad that it's time to move on," Shannon said.
The Indiana-born coach with basketball in his veins is humble, something he instills in every player that laces up to play on his team.
"He makes sure we stay humble by him staying humble," Hunter said.
It's far from the only life-lesson taught in the middle of basketball practice.
"There's a lot of guys who don't have their fathers in their lives, so Coach Shannon is pretty much a father figure," Hunter said.
Being a better man is more important to Shannon than any victory added to his win count.
"I think the highlight of my career is seeing all of these kids that aren't kids anymore, seeing them at functions, seeing them with their families and seeing them be successful," Shannon said.
He pushes every player to strive for good grades, higher learning and to be community leaders. But getting to that point isn't always easy.
"You have to be a little grouchy sometimes," Shannon said with a smile. "At the time, they may not appreciate it. They may not even like you. I'm not here to be their friend. Down the road, that would be fine, but I'm here to help them."
The young men who make up his teams get that.
"He cares about you more than just being a basketball player. He cares about you as a human being," Hunter said. "That's what makes him such a good coach."
Shannon is a good coach with a record in New Albany that deserves to be talked about no matter how humble he may be, and one he said he'll add to before the final buzzer sounds on a career that would make any Hoosier proud.
Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
