The Floor Still Had to Be Swept
I thought helping a player justified being late to sweep the basketball court. Then I walked into the arena and found Hall of Fame coach Lewis Orr doing my job. What followed was a lesson I never forgot: trust with big responsibilities begins with handling the little ones.
I Am Navarro College
I haven’t received a paycheck from Navarro College since 1993—and when I did, it wasn’t much. I was simply thrilled to have a dorm room, a meal card and a Hall of Fame coach to work for while I chased my dream of college basketball.
More than three decades later, I returned to Corsicana for the Navarro College Hall of Fame and realized how profoundly that experience shaped my life. Former players became coaches. Assistant coaches became Division I head coaches. Relationships crossed generations. And an institution I left decades ago still feels like part of who I am.
That is the difference between a transactional organization and a transformational one.
The transaction ended decades ago. The transformation never did.
I am Navarro College.
Stranded in Serial Killer Disney World
Stranded beside Interstate 35 in a suit and dress shoes, I faced three men closing in—armed with only a blue ballpoint pen and an outrageous DEA bluff. That long Oklahoma night became an unforgettable lesson in basketball, accountability and keeping the mission moving.
What One Recruit Taught Me About Preparation, Power and Survival
One recruit produced 39 additional college credit hours, an eight-month NCAA investigation, a $50 bicycle violation and a lesson Terry Waldrop carried into every major professional crisis that followed: always prepare—and always pack a reserve parachute.
How Did a Junior-College Player Earn 39 Credits Before Fall? The NCAA Wanted to Know, Too.
The NCAA investigator saw 39 additional college credits and asked an obvious question: How was that possible? The answer was not a miracle. It was six plus 21 plus six plus six—and every hour was accounted for.
I Gave the NCAA a Bicycle
After eight months of NCAA interviews and investigation, they finally got me. My violation? Transporting a used $50 bicycle so a prospective student-athlete could ride three miles to summer school. I broke the rule—but nearly 30 years later, I still do not believe delivering that bicycle was morally wrong.
What an NCAA Investigation Taught Me About Power, Preparation and Survival
I entered an NCAA investigation intimidated by the people across the table. Eight months later, I understood the table. What followed changed how I approached pressure, preparation, loyalty and power for the rest of my career.
The Sugar Shaker Defense
As a young assistant coach, Terry Waldrop thought he had outsmarted Hall of Fame coach Lewis Orr. One oversized sugar shaker—and Coach Orr’s silence—delivered a lesson about ego, accountability and leadership that lasted a lifetime.
UNC Put Michael Lombardi on Paid Leave. That Is Process, Not Proof.
North Carolina’s decision to place Michael Lombardi on paid administrative leave is not proof of wrongdoing. It is a risk-management step designed to protect the complainant, Lombardi and the integrity of an investigation whose allegations remain undisclosed.
We Have Officially Lost Our Minds Over Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark flops, complains and can be a pain in the ass. So do plenty of modern sports stars. But Nancy Armour took ordinary superstar behavior, connected it to the racism of strangers and somehow dragged Emmett Till into a WNBA officiating argument. That was not brave journalism. It was proof the entire Caitlin Clark conversation has gone completely off the rails.
ESPN’s Layoffs Were About Economics—but the Super Bowl Raised the Cost of Risk
ESPN’s layoffs were driven by economics, but the network’s first Super Bowl dramatically increased the cost of controversy. When billions of dollars and America’s biggest television audience are at stake, managing unpredictable talent becomes basic risk management.