Why they coach: Colt Gaston

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

PM: We start everyone with the same question. Growing up, what was your involvement in sports?

CG: "I remember as a young kid growing up, I always wanted to be outside. I think in elementary school I developed a strong passion for playing sports whether it was outside shooting basketball or baseball or tennis. I loved football too, but I think I got kind into playing baseball, basketball and tennis, kind of that year-round, just never having a break and got kind of addicted to it, to be honest with you. Just always having something, always striving for something, developing a passion for a team, all that was definitely developed early. I didn't know what was going on, obviously, but I think my parents did a great job of keeping me involved in that throughout my life. Then unfortunately when you get older, you see that okay, baseball and tennis are at the same time, and you've got to choose one. That was tough as a kid. I just remember always loving being outside as a kid, even just being out there and not playing sports. Luckily I had friends that age that were into it and I had a brother that was nine years older and so he was always doing that at a very high level. Wanting to be like him when I was younger, I was like, sports are going to help him excel and do some special things and so I saw that throughout his life. I think that was a very big thing for me to be able to not only have a great mentor as a brother and great parents, but to also see people succeed when they're doing sports."

PM: So I'm going to assume you grew up somewhere with warm weather.

CG: "Yeah. Rome, Georgia. It was a country town. Lot of people were doing things outside anyway. Lot of fishing and things like that so I got into that at an early age too. Sports was big in that town so I think that had a lot to do with it as well."

PM: Tennis is one of those sports that if you want to specialize, you have to make the choice pretty early. At one point did you kind of focus in on tennis and give up the other sports?

CG: "I think it was around 12 years old. My dad kind of explained the situation with baseball. I really loved being around a team. There was something about that, and tennis is obviously very individual. It didn't really take away my passion for tennis, but there was always something that I always wanted to go to basketball and baseball because I could be around my friends, I could do this. But there was also, at 12, this passion for going one on one against somebody and just getting that at 12 years old, competing, understanding what it's about and also not having to rely on others. In baseball, somebody might ground out to lose a game and you're sitting in the dugout and you're upset. Tennis is kind of on you. Having that at 12 years old, I remember being bigger than everybody and not worrying about taking risks and just hitting the ball hard and just going after it. I had some success at 12 years old and I think that helped obviously. I remember my dad being like, 'Hey, you're gonna have to choose a sport.' That was tough. I think that's tough for every kid to go through, but I think for me especially it kept that passion for the team in it, but it was a decision to go one on one. And I still played basketball throughout my life, but I think having to make that decision at 12 was definitely when it kind of sunk in that this is something I'm going to go after and challenge myself and stick with it every day."

PM: How far did your playing career take you?

CG: "From there, had some success as a junior, LSU took a chance on me, so I went there and enjoyed every bit of it. It was one of those times when we were great in everything. Basketball was making the Final Four and winning national championships in baseball and football won two national titles when I was there. I think getting into that and going to LSU, you developed, okay there was a bunch of champions around you so you couldn't really be different, in the way, you have to work harder, you see people, football is in the toughest conference in the country and you go see them win a national title so the pressure is on you to go do it. I think we developed that as a team and to be able to have that as an individual and put that on yourself of what do I have to do to get better? Just tell me that. How do we see the success that these other teams are having? I think our coaches did a great job of helping us individually understand that drive and will and what we had to do to be great. So we had a lot of success as a team and I think I was very fortunate to understand why. Sometimes you win championships and you do some special things as a team but you don't really know what was it that helped us get there? And I think our coaches did a great job of understanding, you have a role to do and what is that role? How do you help the team become successful? Well, you've got a lot of stuff around you to help you do that. So I think to be able to do that in college and see success and have a nice run with my doubles partner--we made the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and were ranked like three or something, just put a nice string of 20-something matches together--I think that helps you as a player when you go to the next level to have that confidence of I have played the best in the world. I feel like when you go and you play against the players that really are the best in the world and you see it, you have to be professional, you have to be on your A game. There's a lot of things that have to go right and I think that college really did a great job of preparing me for that. So I jumped into the professional level for a while and had some minor success. Definitely didn't make it as far as I wanted to go, but top 500 in the world in doubles, I had a great partner, got to travel all over the world. I think it helped shape me into who I am today, being stuck on a train in Europe and having to go through some battles. Now when you face some challenges, you're like, 'I'm in Europe getting ripped off in hostels and not knowing a whole lot what is going on, seeing a whole different perspective of life.' I think that's really helped me out and I think there's been a nice appreciation of where sports have really helped me and taken me and the challenges that you face. I think that's super important for the kids today to kind of understand that. My journey's been one that hasn't been quite easy. We've worked for everything we've gotten. Growing up that way as well, my parents were great at that, helping me develop a work ethic early and whether it was making me get up early or whatever it took, I think that really helped along my process. It's been nice, but I think having to work for it to get where I've gotten, whether it's top 500 or whatever the case may be, I think it's really helped me get into coaching and have a lot of experience even though I haven't coached college for a long time. I think going through those challenges helps me understand the student-athletes and the challenges they face."

PM: So how old were you when you decided you'd gone as far as you could as a player and it was time to get into something else?

CG: "I think tennis is a tough sport to do that in. When you're having success, there's not a lot of sponsorships with tennis, so you're winning tournaments that are pro events, but you're not making tons of money. I think you fall into that trap where you need to get a sponsor, you need to almost face that reality check in the right way of 'Okay, I won a title, but what are we really winning?' We're winning enough money to cover expenses and maybe a little more. When you win multiple titles and you do that, I think it wears you down a little bit of, okay, at some point you have to get ready for the real world and understand I can't keep traveling the world and getting by week to week. You either have a breakthrough or you don't. And I think I had some opportunities to have that breakthrough. It didn't go my way. So at, I think it was 25 years old, I was around an academy called IMG, one of the top academies in the world, just around a bunch of great players. A friend of mine, Ryan Harrison, who's a professional tennis player, and his dad, Pat Harrison, and really just the whole Harrison family, Christian, developed a strong bond with them. I was kind of living with Ryan at the time and I think it helped me just kind of open the door. He needed someone to travel with him and kind of help him out, so I was able to jump into that kind of right away. That led to coaching a kid that was trying to get ready for college and develop and play the best tournaments in the world as a junior. I think it just opened the door to be around that professionalism. A great opportunity, and I said, 'You know what? It's time for me to stop playing and get into coaching.' I think just watching the impact of players lives just got into me and was something special. I really love that. That's kind of my niche and what I want to do. And that's hard because as a player, you go, 'I want to be number one in the world. I'm going to do everything I can.' So going from that to focusing on somebody else's process, I was actually shocked that I had that passion early because I see a lot of my friends that were pro tennis players, they stick in it for a long, long time and it's hard for them to let it go. But I thought I really got lucky in that aspect of being in the right place at the right time and just having great friends and great opportunities around me, kind of got me started."

PM: Had you known before then that coaching was what you wanted to do long term or did that unlock something you hadn't thought about before?

CG: "I've been blessed with having a lot of great coaches around me. I think in college it sticks out that my assistant really helped me. His name was Mark Boris. He really helped me develop as a player and a person. I think he did a great job of holding me accountable when I needed it, being there for me. We'd go fishing every once in a while. He just truly had a great impact on me and I think he's one that when I felt that impact, I knew that was something I wanted to do. That somebody could affect my life that way. Also just developing those life skills. It was the empowerment of somebody could take me and help me understand that 'You're doing a great job, but these are the things that are going to help you be great.' You can't act like this, you can't do these things. As a young male coming up in college you're stubborn and you think you know everything and I think he did a phenomenal job of helping me open my mind up and understand there's a lot more to this tennis and game and life, let me help you get there. And I think that buy-in process was something, I was like, 'Man, that's pretty cool that a coach can do those things and help you understand that there's more to it than just a sport.'"

PM: So you're at IMG. What's the path into college coaching from there?

CG: "I coached there for a little bit. Not at IMG, but just more of an individual and not necessarily dealing with academies. But I think being in that really kept me around the tennis game a lot. I knew I wanted to coach, had a strong passion for it, so from there I actually went to Atlanta, back closer to family and stayed in coaching, mainly just in academy and I think that was what truly got that fire lit. I was coaching a lot of young players and developing them. Guys, girls, didn't really matter. There was a lot of both. And I think that was truly something special to see these kids get better, the relationship, the buy-in process, it kind of took me back to when I was in college. I was like, 'Wow, these kids are doing some great things and I have a small part of it and I'm able to help them be better people, prepare them for college and life and everything.' And I think that really helped me keep that passion of coaching going.

But there was something missing. There was more that team missing that I had developed an itch for and had a passion for at an early age. And so I said, you know what? You write down your goals and you write down the things you need to do and I think that when the team part came up and I had a lot of friends in college coaching, I think it was definitely something that I wanted to get into.

So Kelly Jones at Furman took a chance on me with the men's side. I was his assistant. He was number one in the world in doubles and just a phenomenal player, person and I think he was huge for me to go work under for one year to see his calmness, professionalism and how he pushed players but had good relationships with them. I think it was awesome for me to see that, to start off that way. But Furman was a smaller school. I think there were a lot of differences from going to LSU and having that in my mind to starting off at Furman. Loved everything about that city and town and school and saw this opportunity here with Sasha Schmid who was the previous coach, and I came in one year as her assistant four years ago. To be able to do that, we had a partnership that was very, very strong. We hit it off right off the bat. I think there was a freshness when I came in and the kids really wanted to do some special things and turn it around. I think ever since then it's just kind of built up and developed a strong passion for Mizzou. When I got here, seeing how people just embraced the culture, the coaches who were just so welcoming; it's like a family and everybody wants each other to do well, we're always helping each other. Just everything, from administration and the way that they've helped and understand the struggles that we go through and I think all of that's just played a part in just a big ball of passion and wanting to win championships here and develop into the top in everything in the SEC. I think that's kind of led me to where I'm at."

PM: Tennis is a little different. You coach basketball, you just coach basketball. But in tennis, you can coach private individuals or you can coach a team. Are they completely different?

CG: "I think when you're coaching individually, it depends on what you're talking about. If you're talking about coaching professionals, they're playing for their life. They're playing for a paycheck week to week so I think the professionalism that you're getting out of them every day is something that's pretty special. If you're talking about a kid individually, at an academy, I think that's cool too because they're just getting started, they're really buying into what you're saying, you're seeing a progression, you're seeing them develop and get ready for something. Then you go to a team aspect, you almost have to break it down to more individuals because the fall allows you, you're not playing dual matches every single weekend so it allows you to change things, it allows them to see that difference and that they're getting better week to week by taking chances. If we do a small grip change or change something on your serve, if you're not fully bought in and you don't fully go after it, then your serve's going to be average or your forehand's going to be average. And so I think getting everyone to buy in with eight players or however many you have--we have eight right now--to get everyone to go through that process and buy in and see it all come together, is a tough challenge. I think that's the hard part with a team is there's no timeouts. I can't call timeout and sub somebody else in. You're out there and whoever's in the lineup that day has got to stick it out and they've got to get that W for the team. You got to get four of those Ws. So there's a lot of things that kind of have to go your way as a team. There's definitely a lot of positives to all of them, but they're definitely very, very different in that way."

PM: Listening to your path, I think you'll agree with this. When I talked to Cuonzo Martin for this, one of the things he said was that a lot of times the people that become great coaches weren't the great players because maybe they didn't have to go through those struggles. Being in the top 500 is great, but maybe if you had gotten into the top five, you wouldn't have had this success as a coach without having to struggle a little bit. Does that translate?

CG: "Absolutely. I think if you look at anybody that's successful and coach Martin is for sure right about that. If you look at anybody who's successful, they've gone through those struggles. Even if it's top five, there's no telling what those players have gone through as well. I think that really shapes who you are and develops that work ethic of never giving up and wanting more. I think anybody, whether it's in sports or business, if you want that, you're going to be successful. Those struggles can always make you stronger. And I think unfortunately they can also go the other way and you can quit. I think that's one thing that we've done a great job at Mizzou athletics of talking with other coaches like coach Martin or coach (Barry) Odom or Robin (Pingeton), just everybody that I think they've done a phenomenal job of getting players that aren't like that. I think that's something we're developing, Mizzou pride and MizzouMade and all that kind of stuff is important. I think it comes together. I think players that we've had, they have a chip on their shoulder. Whether it's football getting into the SEC or any sport right now getting into the top, I think coach (Brian) Smith's done a great job too of just being a young coach and coming in and looking at those programs and what they've done, it gives me motivation. Because as a young coach, we're trying to do that. We're trying to turn something around and get to the top of the SEC and that's hard because we're all in the toughest conference in the country. We asked for that, but I think those kind of going back to what you asked, those kids are ones that you see come out of here. Sophie (Cunningham) or Drew Lock, just look at the kids coming out right now and being very, very successful, I think that's exactly what you're getting. And I think that has a lot to do with the coaches, but I think it also has a lot to do with those kids paths and what they've come out of and how they've developed."

PM: If my timeline is right, if you were at LSU and they won two national titles, one of them would have been when Nick Saban was there. I doubt as a college tennis player you're ever really hanging out with him and picking his brain. But he's generally regarded as probably the most successful coach in the country right now. Was there anything you were able to pick up that you use just from having been around him?

CG: "It was my freshman year that we had Nick Saban, won the championship and then he left. So I think a lot of people, you know, hated him. I kind of never had that feeling. I always had a respect for him. I think the thing that stuck out to me was his professionalism. I think behind the scenes and reading things about him, I think he's done a phenomenal job of impacting those players lives by accountability. It seems like players that come in, if they're getting in trouble, they're out. There was no kind of wishy-washy stuff. This is how it is here, this is how it's going to be. We're going to win championships like this and excel and it's going to help you in life. Every time you'd see him, I don't think I ever talked to him, but he would come to events sometimes and every time you'd see him it was just all business attitude. There was hardly ever a smile on his face. But I took that as passion. A lot of people looked at it as he was a jerk or he wasn't social. And for sure, I don't think he's a very social person, but I do think the passion and the professionalism that he sets off in a room, just as a student-athlete, was pretty special. And I think looking at it now, you see people that played for him or you hear their interviews, they're definitely impacted in a way you see that in them. They're not going out--I'm not going to say none of them are--but there's not a lot of laughing. They develop that business professionalism that's helped them for life and now they're running companies and they're very successful. I think that's what I took out of that first year seeing it. He's a pretty special coach and to be able to be there during his final year was awesome."

PM: What is the best part, the most rewarding part, however you want to take it, of being a coach?

CG: "I think the impact on the players lives. I think already, I haven't had many seniors, but the ones I have had, I've had a few come up and just see them write letters or help you understand how you've changed their lives, impacted it. Whether it's the parents, you just get so proud of them. I don't have kids right now and I think that's something that's kind of been cool for me, see them develop that passion and I think that's probably the most special part is seeing what they're doing and always wanting to know how they're doing. I think that's pretty special. I always try to get them to come back for football games or be around this place and understand, this is your family. This is a place where you gave everything you've got and I appreciate that. They understand that because I did push them to limits that they probably didn't think they were going to reach. They were successful. I think that's a great feeling as a coach to be able to have them go through the process as a coach, even if it wasn't four years because I haven't been there throughout their career, but to impact them in one or two years and see those changes, I think that's probably the most special thing and the thing that I look forward to in the future as well."

PM: Going the other direction, what's the most difficult part about coaching?

CG: "I think the toughest part, again, it's going back to the team, whether it's eight, or you're talking about football, just big teams in general, when you have more than one it becomes 'if everybody's into the process and they come together and they peak at the right time, special things are going to happen.' Sometimes it doesn't happen that way and as a coach you want it to happen, but I think being in the SEC is a great challenge that we all love and we all ask for as coaches when you come to Mizzou. But it can also be difficult. Tennis, in general women's tennis, SEC is always top-notch. I think we have a great team, but that mental part of 'we are going to develop ourselves into the top of the SEC and compete for national titles,' I think getting eight people to believe that has been tough. What I love about our team is we're never giving up on that. To have struggles and go through these challenges, I think that's my biggest part, is to take what I've done throughout my life and go through those struggles and help them understand that everybody's going to go through these tough challenges. How you respond to it, what you do with it, is going to make or break you."

PM: More focused on Missouri, the biggest challenges, you touched on one of them being in the league you're in. What are the difficulties that are unique to Mizzou?

CG: "Again, I think the biggest thing is being in the conference. It's hard to go away from that. An SEC team is usually in the national title. So I think being at Mizzou and seeing the differences in other coaches and them going through it really helps as a coach. But if you're talking about specifically at Mizzou, there's a strong passion for every coach,,especially in these head coaches meetings, I can feel a strong passion to develop every single sport we have to the top of the SEC. I think Jim (Sterk) has done a phenomenal job of always trying to find ways to help us get there and so I think that's probably been the biggest thing since I've been here is the passion that everyone has to get to the top. I don't really see that as a struggle at Mizzou. I think our mentality is not having limitations and going that way. Why can't Mizzou be the greatest in everything? Mizzou's done a phenomenal job in football when we jumped into the SEC to go prove that right off the bat and I think that's something I saw. Going to LSU, I was a huge football fan and knew the SEC and was like, 'Oh, Mizzou's jumping in here. That's kind of cool to see them going at it.' And I think that set the tone for a lot of us. A lot of us see that and know that. I didn't even go here and when I got here, that's something that you see. There's got to be a lot of respect. So I think that's the biggest thing for me is developing MIzzou into a household name, they're always in the top of the SEC. We've got to get that back and all the coaches are very, very passionate about that. That's one thing that I just love being here is being around those coaches, being around Jim and feeling that 'Guys, we can do this. What do you need to help us get there?' I think that also sets the challenge on us to go and do something special. That's where my head is to kind of go through those challenges. Hey, maybe we need a new indoor facility, but at the end of the day, it all starts with that passion around you and what the other coaches are doing, what your administration's doing, what Jim Sterk believes in, and I think him winning it right and not limiting us is the biggest thing that I've loved about being here. And I think that will help us."

PM: The other thing that I thought about and it's really only a factor for probably two or three sports, but how much does weather make your job more difficult?

CG: "You know, weather's tough. You know, the way they do it, it comes down to match day, an hour, hour-and-a-half before the match and you talk about it, you see what the weather is. If it's 50 degrees then you play outside. If it's 49 then you go inside."

PM: And most places in the SEC, they don't have to worry about if it's not 50 degrees.

CG: "Right. So we could go through 49 for three weeks. That's the hardest part because tennis is so mental. If one person's not handling it right, it can slow things down really quickly. Again, we don't have a timeout to sub somebody in. You can change after doubles, but you've really got to be strong mentally to prepare for the weather because it can change anything. That's with anything, that's with pros or college, but tennis is very specific with weather because unfortunately you don't just make a decision three days before. I think there's definitely some struggles with that."

PM: You're obviously, relatively speaking, pretty early on in your coaching career. But when the time does come that you're done, what would you want people who played for you to say about you as a coach?

CG: "I would hope they say he had a strong impact in my life. I hope they'd say he helped me prepare for life after college. We won championships, I learned what hard work was. I think the biggest thing is I don't like for anybody to be limited. I don't want that around them. I want to break that barrier and open their eyes up to things they never thought they could achieve. I hope when they leave, they can go and run a business, they can own their own company, they can do whatever they want. That's the biggest challenge for me in their freshman year when they get there is that push and that drive and the hard work, helping them understand that this is not about winning tennis matches. This is more about if you develop this strong work ethic and you understand when you have these challenges that if I can overcome this and work through it and problem solve it that I'm going to be very successful in life. And I hope that's what they say when they leave."