'Someone has it worse than you': Herndon won't let CP affect his coaching career
Feb. 18—LAURINBURG — Imagine not being able to take a step on your own — ever.
That's just one of the challenges that Scotland assistant men's basketball coach Chandler Herndon has faced throughout his life.
Herndon, at the age of two, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP), a motor disability that affects a person's capability to walk and balance themselves. While a person with mild CP may not need much help to move around, a person with severe CP normally requires equipment to walk. A cure for CP hasn't been discovered yet.
When he was born, doctors told Herndon he'd never be able to walk.
They were right — almost.
To maneuver around, Herndon uses a reverse walker, which helps him to be able to walk.
But, ask Herndon about it and he'll explain why it's not something to look at as a hindrance.
"There's always somebody that has it worse than you, that's how I look at it," Herndon said. "We've gotta never give up; anything's possible. Some days are tough, but I just try to give as much energy as I can and enjoy my life, cause you only get one life. My other option is to pout and, if I'm pouting, what good is that gonna do? I can still do a lot that I wanna do. I didn't get to play sports and I love sports. I tell those kids...life is short, you don't know how many games you've got left, so enjoy it, man. So, I try to inspire the guys; I love the guys."
At just 23 years old, Herndon has coached basketball for nearly 10 years and has been coaching at the high school level since he was 19 years old.
He first started coaching basketball at First United Methodist Church in Bennettsville, S.C., where he also coached Scotland head basketball coach Michael Malpass's daughters.
In 2019, Herndon decided he wanted to move up in his coaching career and found a home at Cheraw High School in Cheraw, S.C. as an assistant basketball coach.
"I knew some guys at Cheraw (High School) and I said look, I'll come volunteer for free and I did that," Herndon said. "The first year, we made the final four. So, I just got my foot in the door basically and did whatever I could to get an opportunity."
However, in April of 2022, Herndon left Cheraw after he was 'pushed out' by another coach that had come onto their coaching staff.
"Honestly...it was tough to swallow because I put so much work into watching film (and) going to coaching clinics, Herndon said. "I thought I'd be at Cheraw forever, I'm gonna be honest. I didn't know when I left Cheraw if I was gonna coach this year at all."
That's when Herndon reached out to Malpass because of the connection he had with Malpass's kids. Herndon asked him if he knew of any coaching positions that were available.
Herndon and Malpass eventually met in-person to discuss the coaching search, where Malpass said he was looking for someone energetic and young.
Herndon interviewed for the job at Scotland that next month and, in June, became a member of Malpass's staff.
"He hired me to work on free throws and do inbounding," Herndon said.
The hire of Herndon has been a successful one for Scotland this year.
Malpass discussed the impact Herndon has had on the team's struggles from last season and why he thinks he found a gem of a coach.
"Last year, we were miserable with our left hand...we were horrible shooting free throws, and we were horrible shooting the 3-ball," Malpass said. "So, I was like, if you'll (help with free throws) coach (Herndon), it'll be a huge difference, and then inbound plays; he does all the underneath inbound stuff and gives suggestions. Our free throw percentages last year were in the mid-40s; this year, as a team, we're shooting in the high-60s. And, then we've got some guys who are shooting in the 80s that were shooting in the 40s last year. So, obviously that's paid off."
"I think he's motivated and inspired our guys. His ability to think the game and scheme the game is high-level. It's sad in our world; too many people look over people because they view them based on things that aren't right. I just see Chandler as one of us."
While Herndon has benefited Malpass, he said he's done the same for him, making him a better coach overall.
"The biggest thing is confidence," Herndon said. "I've worked with a lot of coaches and every time I'd give them an idea, I just worked with one recently, he would say it's a stupid idea. He (Malpass) empowers me, he gives me confidence, he gets onto me when I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing; he has really mentored me and grown me."
Herndon's goal for the future is to continue climbing the coaching ladder.
He accredits his faith in God as the reason he believes his career is just now scratching the surface.
"My goal would be obviously to one day be a head varsity coach or even coach at the college level," Herndon said. "It's all about God's plan; all things are possible. Without God, there's a lot of things I couldn't do."
