Sometimes things just seem to fall into place for someone, and that was the case for Randy Ragland.
After being the Meeker Bulldogs basketball coach for the last five years, going 9-14 last season and 48-71 in his five-year stint, Ragland got a chance to get closer to home, which is in the Pocola/northern LeFlore County area as he was hired as the new Vian Wolverines basketball coach.
Ragland succeeds John Mays, who left to become the football coach and dean of high school students at Cave Springs High School.
“Me and my wife were looking to get back closer to home and family,” Ragland said. “We just bought a house in Sallisaw. We’ll still be a lot closer to family because we’re wanting to start our own family. It was tough to leave (Meeker). I loved that community, those kids and the parents, but it was a decision that needed to be made. We were trying to get back east and closer to home. We’re happy to be here. This is where we’re supposed to be. We were patient because we’ve been looking for the last couple of years to come back east. It finally happened. We know we’re supposed to be here. We’re excited to be here. We’re ready to get rocking and rolling. I don’t think I could have landed in a better place. I’m so excited to get started.”
Of course, Ragland is well aware that football success will play a factor in just how soon he will get his basketball players.
“I’ve always admired Vian from afar,” Ragland said. “I know they play a lot of football here, and they play it well. It will be tough because they (the Wolverines’ football team) expect to go far in the playoffs. We’re probably going to be starting our season late because we have a game and a tournament the week of the state championship — and they expect to be there. That will make it a challenge, but February basketball is what matters. As long as we can get these guys in here and have December and January to prepare them for playoff basketball, that’s what is most important to me.”
Last week was one of the first chances Ragland has had to get to know his new players.
“We had a team camp last week at Porum, so I got to see some of my dudes,” he said. “I have a lot of pretty athletic guys walking around here. I’m really excited to get rocking and rolling. I couldn’t be more excited. I got a little taste of it last week. We’ll have another team camp Tuesday at Cameron. I hope to get better acquainted with the kids next week. That’s a big thing, too. We have to warm up to each other. They don’t know me from Adam, and I obviously don’t know them. We’ve got to get accustomed to each other, and learn to love each other because we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”
From what little he has had a chance to watch his new players play, Ragland believes the two key things to success will be playing an uptempo style of basketball as well as playing strong defense.
“I haven’t had a chance to watch a lot of film on them from last year, but from what I saw last week (at the Porum Team Basketball Camp), we need to be a tempo-ladened team,” Ragland said. “We’ll need to play uptempo. Across the board our defense will need to be a priority. If we can accomplish those things, I think we can have some success here.”
The Meeker job was Ragland’s first head job after spending several years as varsity football and basketball coach with the Pocola Indians, who will become one of the Wolverines’ new conference opponents as Vian will be joining the Black Diamond Conference, joining Pocola, Heavener, Talihina, Stigler, Wilburton and Hartshorne. Ragland believes these first five seasons as a head coach will prove valuable as he begins his tenure with the Wolverines.
“It was a culture shock for sure,” he said. “There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes that you don’t realize as an assistant. There’s a lot more you (as a head coach) have to deal with schedule wise, the interacting with parents, fundraisers and so forth. It was weird, too. When I got to Meeker, everything was still kind of in lockdown (due to COVID pandemic). I feel that I’m pretty battle tested with all that. I learned a lot there, and I’m really grateful to the (Meeker) administration and my athletic director because they were patient with me. It was my first (head) job. There was a big learning curve. I’m forever grateful to Meeker for being patient with me.”
After being with his new players the rest of this month and into July, Ragland knows he won’t see his hoopsters until just before the Christmas break — in all likelihood — due to football and the Wolverines’ success on the gridiron.
“I can’t wait,” Ragland said. “Obviously, I know after July I won’t see these guys again until mid December. I’ll be rooting for them, and I’ll be at every game. I’ll have that high expectation for them to make another deep playoff run and play for another state championship. I will never deter a kid from playing another sport. Anything they can participate, play and compete in, I want them to. I’ll be begging them to play other sports.”
