Catalysts for Learning, Growing and Leading
1/27/2021 1:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features, Flight 45, Intellectual Development
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Learn, Grow, Lead is a priority and focus of Lehigh Athletics, for not just its student-athletes, but also its coaches and staff. Last May, Lehigh men's basketball upperclassmen Marques Wilson and Jeameril Wilson took part in the Athletes in Action Academy to develop as leaders. Around the same time, assistant coaches Quinn McDowell and Noel Hightower took advantage of a similar program for coaches under 30 years of age.
"It was three days of structured time with a cohort group," said McDowell. "There were a couple hours every afternoon with a speaker, who set the table with various topics on leadership and personal development. Then, we broke out into smaller group time, talking with other coaches from around the country who are experiencing some of the very same things as you."
Hightower was introduced to the program by McDowell.
"I have a personal connection with Athletes in Action because my parents have been part of that organization for more than 30 years," said McDowell. "I have a familiarity with some of the missions and goals of the organization as they try to use sports to talk about faith, leadership and helping people become their best selves so they can serve others.
"In terms of selection for the program, you had to fill out a short application, but as long as you were interested in trying to use the experience to grow, it was something they welcomed people to do."
Hightower found the group discussions, large and small, extremely valuable.
"In my breakout room, one thing we talked about was your why," he said. "What gets you going? The why for a lot of people in my group, including myself, was faith-based, so it's important to understand the balance of being a college basketball coach while still upholding your faith.
"Another thing I took from our discussion was to always be in it for the right reasons," Hightower continued.
Coaches like Hightower are "in it" to win games and championships, but even more important is the development of young men who are today's scholars and tomorrow's leaders (as the Patriot League saying goes).
And Hightower knows the more he learns and grows, the better coach he'll become for his student-athletes to help them do the same.
"Lehigh is about Learn, Grow, Lead and within this Athletes in Action program, I had an opportunity to do all three," he said. "As I grow, my student-athletes grow and as my student-athletes grow, I grow as a person and coach. It's really a two-way street.
"Every day, I challenge my student-athletes to be the best versions of themselves," Hightower continued. "They also challenge me and hold me accountable."
Even before the spring academy, Hightower was already well on his way to great things as a young coach. Just two years out of college, he was a Mountain Hawks' assistant coach and his trajectory has only been upward ever since.
The academy has only helped that trajectory, specifically with confidence, which will open so many possibilities moving forward.
"To put it in perspective, the academy was during the start of the pandemic and it was a time with a lot of adversity," said Hightower. The death of George Floyd just happened as well. The academy hit me at a great spot where I could [virtually] be with a lot of like-minded people, and people I'm aspiring to be like.
"The experience was very reassuring," he continued. "I was able to bounce ideas off people, build off their ideas and tailor them back to what really works for me. It helped build my confidence as a person and professional."
Two words that came to McDowell's mind when thinking back to the program was authenticity and humility.
"As young coaches, it can be really difficult to figure out who you are and what you're called to do – how you can authentically operate from positions of strength and things you believe in, not necessarily what you see on social media or who you work for," he said. "That's a tricky balance because we're all part of something bigger than ourselves. Each program has its own DNA and culture, and you're following the head coach's lead.
"Luckily here at Lehigh, we have one of the best in Coach Reed who really tries to approach things from a very holistic perspective," McDowell continued. "That's not always the case for everybody in the country, especially in Division I basketball. So as aspiring coaches who are trying to operate with some foresight, the question is, 'How can I authentically be who I was created to be and ultimately become the best possible version of myself for others?'"
McDowell admitted that at the core of the answer is a sense of humility, which comes from the idea of having never arrived.
"You have to think you're always on the journey to becoming better," he said. "I always have something to learn from somebody else."
The academy took place during a time of so much adversity (as Hightower said), which allowed the coaches take a step back from the rigors of a college basketball schedule.
"The pandemic gave us a chance to branch out in terms of our fields of expertise, on filling in gaps of knowledge or areas of development that may have been neglected in the past," said McDowell. "That's been positive about the last 10 months. Our schedule is typically so regimented by the recruiting calendar, and by the season. You can almost say with certainty to the exact day what you're going to be working on at that specific time of year.
"The coronavirus has thrown all that out and has given us a chance to think outside the box and pursue some things we wouldn't have had the time, energy or foresight to actually execute on and get involved with previously."
The pandemic has brought increased gratitude as well.
"It has increased my sense of gratitude towards everything – my family, my profession, my student-athletes… you name it," said Hightower. "I've realized that every day is a blessing, every opportunity is a blessing and I have to keep working hard and making the most of every single day in my profession, and life."
Hightower and McDowell made the most of their three days with Athletes in Action and couldn't be more grateful for that opportunity, which served as a catalyst for learning, growing and leading.
It's what they are about.
And it's what Lehigh is all about.
Learn, Grow, Lead is a priority and focus of Lehigh Athletics, for not just its student-athletes, but also its coaches and staff. Last May, Lehigh men's basketball upperclassmen Marques Wilson and Jeameril Wilson took part in the Athletes in Action Academy to develop as leaders. Around the same time, assistant coaches Quinn McDowell and Noel Hightower took advantage of a similar program for coaches under 30 years of age.
"It was three days of structured time with a cohort group," said McDowell. "There were a couple hours every afternoon with a speaker, who set the table with various topics on leadership and personal development. Then, we broke out into smaller group time, talking with other coaches from around the country who are experiencing some of the very same things as you."
Hightower was introduced to the program by McDowell.
"I have a personal connection with Athletes in Action because my parents have been part of that organization for more than 30 years," said McDowell. "I have a familiarity with some of the missions and goals of the organization as they try to use sports to talk about faith, leadership and helping people become their best selves so they can serve others.
"In terms of selection for the program, you had to fill out a short application, but as long as you were interested in trying to use the experience to grow, it was something they welcomed people to do."
Hightower found the group discussions, large and small, extremely valuable.
"In my breakout room, one thing we talked about was your why," he said. "What gets you going? The why for a lot of people in my group, including myself, was faith-based, so it's important to understand the balance of being a college basketball coach while still upholding your faith.
"Another thing I took from our discussion was to always be in it for the right reasons," Hightower continued.
Coaches like Hightower are "in it" to win games and championships, but even more important is the development of young men who are today's scholars and tomorrow's leaders (as the Patriot League saying goes).
And Hightower knows the more he learns and grows, the better coach he'll become for his student-athletes to help them do the same.
"Lehigh is about Learn, Grow, Lead and within this Athletes in Action program, I had an opportunity to do all three," he said. "As I grow, my student-athletes grow and as my student-athletes grow, I grow as a person and coach. It's really a two-way street.
"Every day, I challenge my student-athletes to be the best versions of themselves," Hightower continued. "They also challenge me and hold me accountable."
Even before the spring academy, Hightower was already well on his way to great things as a young coach. Just two years out of college, he was a Mountain Hawks' assistant coach and his trajectory has only been upward ever since.
The academy has only helped that trajectory, specifically with confidence, which will open so many possibilities moving forward.
"To put it in perspective, the academy was during the start of the pandemic and it was a time with a lot of adversity," said Hightower. The death of George Floyd just happened as well. The academy hit me at a great spot where I could [virtually] be with a lot of like-minded people, and people I'm aspiring to be like.
"The experience was very reassuring," he continued. "I was able to bounce ideas off people, build off their ideas and tailor them back to what really works for me. It helped build my confidence as a person and professional."
Two words that came to McDowell's mind when thinking back to the program was authenticity and humility.
"As young coaches, it can be really difficult to figure out who you are and what you're called to do – how you can authentically operate from positions of strength and things you believe in, not necessarily what you see on social media or who you work for," he said. "That's a tricky balance because we're all part of something bigger than ourselves. Each program has its own DNA and culture, and you're following the head coach's lead.
"Luckily here at Lehigh, we have one of the best in Coach Reed who really tries to approach things from a very holistic perspective," McDowell continued. "That's not always the case for everybody in the country, especially in Division I basketball. So as aspiring coaches who are trying to operate with some foresight, the question is, 'How can I authentically be who I was created to be and ultimately become the best possible version of myself for others?'"
McDowell admitted that at the core of the answer is a sense of humility, which comes from the idea of having never arrived.
"You have to think you're always on the journey to becoming better," he said. "I always have something to learn from somebody else."
The academy took place during a time of so much adversity (as Hightower said), which allowed the coaches take a step back from the rigors of a college basketball schedule.
"The pandemic gave us a chance to branch out in terms of our fields of expertise, on filling in gaps of knowledge or areas of development that may have been neglected in the past," said McDowell. "That's been positive about the last 10 months. Our schedule is typically so regimented by the recruiting calendar, and by the season. You can almost say with certainty to the exact day what you're going to be working on at that specific time of year.
"The coronavirus has thrown all that out and has given us a chance to think outside the box and pursue some things we wouldn't have had the time, energy or foresight to actually execute on and get involved with previously."
The pandemic has brought increased gratitude as well.
"It has increased my sense of gratitude towards everything – my family, my profession, my student-athletes… you name it," said Hightower. "I've realized that every day is a blessing, every opportunity is a blessing and I have to keep working hard and making the most of every single day in my profession, and life."
Hightower and McDowell made the most of their three days with Athletes in Action and couldn't be more grateful for that opportunity, which served as a catalyst for learning, growing and leading.
It's what they are about.
And it's what Lehigh is all about.
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