Meet the coaches: Dwight McCowan
Jun. 29—Dwight McCowan will take over as Palestine's new head boys basketball coach and looks forward to breeding a winning culture with the Wildcats.
A common theme you'll hear when talking with McCowan is identity and culture. McCowan helped establish an expectation of winning at Pleasant Grove Texarkana in the three years he spent as their head boys' basketball coach before moving over to an administrative role.
He credits some of that to the winning ways of Pleasant Grove's football team who won a state in 2017 while he served as an assistant football coach there.
"The standard of winning transitioned from football into basketball," McCowan said. "Yes, it's two different sports but it inspired those athletes. It set an expectation of excellence in our athletic program."
Of course, the success of their football program meant he would be getting his full team later in the basketball season. While many coaches had the opportunity to get their players towards the end of October, McCowan often didn't get his full roster until the end of December.
Still, in 2019, he helped get them to the regional semifinals where they fell by four to eventual Class 4A state champions Oak Cliff Faith Academy. They were bi-district qualifiers in 2020.
In 2021, McCowan guided Texarkana back to the playoffs despite the loss of their key player Marcus Burris — who currently plays football at Texas A&M.
"Establishing an identity and culture is what breeds winning," McCowan said. "There are certain things you can't predict on the court but what I do know is we will play together and play hard."
Outside of his stint at Pleasant Grove, he has spent time with Detroit ISD, Pittsburg ISD and Grambling State University.
"Grambling taught me how a practice is supposed to be run," McCowan said. "I saw how intense their practices were. Those guys would work for hours until they were drenched in sweat. I brought that energy with me. The speed and quickness you see my teams play with in-game are developed in practice."
Even with Palestine now placed in District 18-4A with the likes of Bullard and Jacksonville, McCowan knows what will mostly affect their season is the foundation of the culture here. Establishing those relationships with his players and building trust within his team is what will help carry Palestine during his first year.
"It's about being genuine with these players," McCowan said. "Kids can read phony. They'll buy-in when they know you care. I want to know what motivates them. I knew the district would be tough. You can't look at who you're playing against, but what you're building here."
