VYPE: Coach Ott, when did you get your start in coaching and who inspired you to coach?
Lee Ott: I officially got my start in coaching at Oklahoma Union in the 2008-2009 school year. Both my dad who passed in 2015 coached for 35 years and is an OGBCA Hall of Fame inductee, my stepmom is a retired High School counselor. My wife Crissy, brother Derick, sister Amanda Henderson and her husband Chris, my two stepsons Jace and Kade Hollingshed and Jace’s wife Morgen allowing with a few cousins are all in coaching or in education of some sort. So, I would say I was destined to be a basketball coach. The inspiration to be would come from my dad Rick, but it is my wife Crissy that pushed me to go back and finish my degree.
VYPE: What is the most satisfying aspect of your job? Both on the court and in the classroom.
LO: The relationships that we (me and my wife), try to build during the school age years on and off the court, but the lessons we teach throughout those years are the most rewarding with the text messages, phone calls, wedding invitations or a drop by the house to say hi. Like the point guard from our state championship team of 2021 stop by when we were not home but there was snow on the ground, and he left a message written in the snow that he had stopped by to say hi.
VYPE: How has the community support in Sequoyah been for your team?
LO: The Sequoyah community support was, has and still is outstanding. My wife and I both graduated from Sequoyah in the 90’s. My dad was a coach here and my wife played softball and basketball for him. Many of his friends are still in the community and we are teaching and coaching many of the same last names just a lot younger. We came back to Sequoyah because the AD at the time, Steve Cooper and our Superintendent Dr. Saul asked if we were ready to come back home.
VYPE: What college did you attend?
LO: We both graduated from NSU. I started off at Rogers State when it was a Junior College.
VYPE: What’s one piece of advice you would give young coaches entering the profession with their first job?
LO: Do you, there are a million different ways and different coaching styles that get the job done. Take time off when you have the chance and lean on and learn from your peers, because you can’t do it by yourself. Invest in the kids because I had a retired HOF coach ask “are you trying to build a resume or build an obituary? Very few will show up when you are gone and only your friends and family will know by who shows up when you go.”
