100 Miles an Hour

Going into the 2013-2014 school year, Walker High School will be welcoming a new face to its coaching staff and administration. Former Valdosta, Georgia resident, Rufus McDuffie will fill the position of head basketball coach, head tennis coach, and assistant principal at Walker. With the upcoming basketball season rapidly approaching, McDuffie is working hard to ensure success for the Vikings.No matter how hard the Baxley, Georgia sun was beating down on the McDuffie family, Rufus and his brothers were always playing basketball during their childhood. “I’m the youngest of ten kids, and we grew up on a farm working in the tobacco fields. There were six boys, and on our lunch breaks we would take a few minutes to eat before using the rest of our break to play basketball,” McDuffie remarks. In high school, McDuffie served as point guard on his school’s basketball team, and later played basketball at ABAC, a junior college in Tifton, Georgia.After college, McDuffie took his first coaching job at Pierce County High School. A year later, he found a long term home at Mitchell Baker High School, where he served as head basketball coach for 20 years. McDuffie went on to coach at Washington County for four years before taking the job as head coach at Valdosta High School.“To build a successful program, the players must learn to love the way they play the game. They have to believe in the way they do things and be confident in their playing style,” McDuffie comments. With perseverance and dedication from the team, the new coach is hopeful that his philosophy will guarantee wins for the Walker Vikings.“I expect us to be successful. The coaching staff before me did a great job. We want to make it to playoffs and have a winning season,” McDuffie states. With over 600 wins, it is clear that McDuffie has enjoyed an extremely successful career so far. As he goes into his 31st year of coaching, McDuffie has high expectations for the program.“I want to get my system in here at Walker. We want to play a fast pace, up tempo style, and we’ve got to get the kids used to playing that way,” McDuffie explains. “Everything we want to do starts on the defensive end. The challenge will be for the kids to learn to play defense the way we want. If we’ve got some skilled 3-point shooters, we will play them. We want to encourage the guys to play more; we will try to play 10 guys a quarter,” McDuffie states, confident in his new team’s potential.“We’ve got to change the players’ mindset. We want to go a hundred miles an hour. We want to play at a fast pace and earn a lot of points,” McDuffie says.Although the upcoming season doesn’t kick off until November, McDuffie has already gotten the chance to interact with the players and assess their skills. “I was able to work them out a few times. They were very receptive to me. I was extremely pleased.” Concerning a time frame for improvement, McDuffie feels that the players may take some time to adjust to the new program, but expects progress.“The best teams really love and care for one another. The biggest obstacle I face as a coach is getting the players to understand that. They must become one cohesive group, caring for one another and knowing what’s going on with their teammates,” McDuffie says. “I’ve always hated to lose. I push myself to ensure that my team is prepared; we will play harder than our opponent.”Coach McDuffie also has great expectations for the tennis team, stating, “I know how successful the tennis team has always been, and I hope to add on to that success.”In his spare time, Coach McDuffie enjoys playing tennis, riding his bicycle, and spending time with family and friends.McDuffie has worked in administration for 27 years, and is looking forward to filling the position of assistant principal at Walker. His wife, Lanita, is also involved in the education system as a 6th grade science teacher. The couple has three daughters; Nyisha, Shayla, and Lanita.“I’m looking forward to working here. I think I’m going to enjoy it,” McDuffie says.