JACKSON, Tenn. — It’s extremely common to see children follow in the steps of their parents when it comes to choosing a career path. David, John, and Mark Wilkins each did exactly that, pursuing a profession coaching high school basketball like their father, Mitch. Jump ahead to 2024, three of the four Wilkins’ are now preparing their respective schools for the TSSAA Blue Cross Basketball State Championships.
Mitch (Gibson County girls), David (Huntingdon girls), and Mark (Independence boys) will all be heading to Murfreesboro over the next two weeks in pursuit of a gold ball. John (McKenzie girls) will not be making the trip this year as a participant, but will be in attendance as a supporter for his dad and brothers. This is not new territory for this family, however, as each one has previously punched their ticket to the big dance in recent years. The feeling of making it this far in the postseason still remains extremely special.
“We’re just blessed to be in this position, it’s special every time,” said Mitch. “It makes me proud to see how those three run their programs. They do it the right way. In this industry, it’s all about how you impact young men and women. At the end of the day, our goal is to glorify our Heavenly Father with everything we do, providing a positive influence to these kids.”
As excited as he is for his sons to join him in Murfreesboro, Mitch will have to deal with the bittersweet reality that he will be coaching against his son David when Gibson County and Huntingdon meet up in the opening round of the Class 2A girls bracket.
“We joked about it at the beginning of the season, saying we didn’t want to see each other this season unless it was in Murfreesboro,” said David. “We didn’t schedule each other in the regular season on purpose, because we knew there was a chance of this happening. Unfortunately this isn’t exactly the scenario we wanted in the first round, but it’s still surreal and I’m honored to be coaching against my dad at such a high level.”
Mark, on the other hand, will have a brief break from the madness of the postseason due to the boys tournament taking place the following week. Along with having family members joining him at state, Mark earned his 200th career win Monday night, as Independence defeated Beech 66-42. Looking forward to the opportunity at hand in the upcoming Class 4A bracket, Mark always comes back to the core coaching principles he and his brothers learned from their dad that ultimately helped build their careers on the court.
“I always think about what dad has in common with all of his teams,” said Mark. “He always gets them to play extremely hard, and he gets them to believe. From an X’s and O’s perspective, we all do things a little differently. But those two things are something I believe we all have taken into our own programs, and it’s helped tremendously.”
Basketball fans across the state of Tennessee have come to know and respect the last name Wilkins. It’s unique to see three of them competing in Murfreesboro at the same time, however, it’s arguably more uncommon to see a state tournament that doesn’t involve at least one member of their family. The combined success from the Wilkins men will go down in the history books as one of the greatest family coaching dynasties this area has ever seen. They will be recognized for years to come for their championships and wins on the court, but they would all agree that how a coach conducts himself as a person and as a leader truly determines a legacy.
“When I think about some of the best basketball coaches that I know, it’s pretty cool to tell people that they are my relatives,” said David.
The state tournament schedule regarding the Wilkins family is as followed:
Gibson County vs Huntingdon (Class 2A Girls First Round – Thursday, 11:00 a.m.)
Independence vs LaVergne (Class 4A Boys First Round – March 13, 2:15 p.m.)
