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Armed with hall of fame resumes and a burning hunger to succeed, first-year coaches Carl Ramsey (left) and Doug Boxell are ready to take on the challenge of turning around Ozarks basketball. The freshly painted sign on the purple office wall of new Ozarks men’s basketball coach Doug Boxell is one of the first things a visitor sees when he enters the office. The message is simple and to the point: “Prepare to Win!” A few steps down the hall, the new women’s head basketball coach Carl Ramsey is showing a visitor the recently remodeled Lady Eagles’ dressing room, complete with name plates on the large new lockers and a large eagle painted on the wall. It’s a new look and a new era in basketball at Ozarks, and it is led by two first-year coaches with similar backgrounds and resumes that are quite impressive, to say the least. Boxell comes to Ozarks fresh off a hall of fame career as a high school coach in the Lone Star State. In a high school career that spanned 25 years, he compiled a stellar 670-175 (.792) record, five state championships and 23 postseason appearances. And, while Boxell was winning basketball games at an amazing rate in Texas, Ramsey was doing the same in Arkansas. A 1980 Ozarks graduate, Ramsey quietly put together a girls’ basketball dynasty in nearby Lamar, Ark. From 1980- 2009, he led the Lady Warriors to a dazzling 660-227 (.744) record, two state championships and postseason play an astounding 24 times in 29 years. That’s a combined total of 54 years in coaching, 1,330 victories, seven state championships and 47 postseason appearances for the new head basketball coaches at Ozarks. But all that was on the high school level. Now they find themselves ready for the challenge of building a college program, something they both say has been a long-time goal. “I’ve been a part of a lot of great high school teams and programs, and I really enjoyed it, but in the back of my mind I found myself wondering if I could succeed on the next level,” said Boxell. “I’ve gotten to the place in my career where I was ready for that next step, that next opportunity to see if I can be successful on the next level up. This is something I’ve hoped for, and I’m ready for it.” Ramsey was also intrigued by the challenge of running his own college program. “You get to the point where another district championship is just another district championship,” Ramsey said. “I always thought I would like to coach in college, and I’ve had some opportunities over the years, but the timing was never right, and I loved being at Lamar. I felt like this time I was ready to make the move.” Both coaches have their work cut out for them at the smallest school, enrollment-wise, in the 16-team American South Conference. The Eagles have had one winning season in the past six years. The Lady Eagles have not had a winning season since 2002. Ramsey and Boxell both know winning begins with attitude, and that’s where small things such as new signs in the office, remodeled locker rooms, and practice jerseys with “TEAM” written across the back come into play. “We need to encourage our players to take pride in themselves, their teammates, their basketball program and their university, and that’s why we’re doing some of these things,” said Boxell. “We want to do something special here, but it’s going to take coming together as a team, as a family, and working 14 Today, FALL/WINTER 2009
for it. It’s not going to happen if we’re putting individual goals ahead of the team.” Ramsey’s explanation for the subtle changes around his program mirrors Boxley’s almost verbatim. “We want our players to take pride in their dressing room and pride in the ‘Ozarks’ written across their jersey,” Ramsey said. “It’s got to be about the team.” ****************** Boxell was so excited about his phone interview for the Ozarks job that he made the 12-hour round-trip the day before to personally check out the campus so that he would know a little more about the university during the interview. His enthusiasm hasn’t waned in the months since he’s gotten the job. One of his first priorities was recruiting, and, despite being on the job just two months before the start of school, he brought in 18 new players. He plans to start a junior varsity program, something Ozarks has not had in years. “We want to get to the point where we have good players two or three deep at every position competing against each other,” he said. “That’s how you get better as players and as a team.” One of the first things he did as a coach was to begin work on building a family atmosphere within the program. “I want these guys to build relationships on this team and at this university that will last a lifetime,” he said. “I want them, 15 years from now, sending out Christmas cards to their former teammates. I tell them that if they can get 10 lifetime friends out of their college experience, then that’s a great accomplishment. When you have those types of bonds, you’re going to fight for each other and for your university when you step on the court.” Boxell’s oldest son played college basketball at Sul Ross State University, an NCAA Division III school that also competes in the ASC. He has also had dozens of his former players go on to play college ball, though not all of them had pleasant experiences. “I’ve had former players who didn’t enjoy their college experience and that has always bothered me,” he said. “I always said that if I had the chance to coach in college, I would do my best to make it a fun and enjoyable experience.” Boxell’s success in Texas came at primarily small schools in towns such as Ponder --- where he won three state championships --- Lampasas, Neches and Alpine. He regularly scheduled games against the much-larger schools and often came away victorious. That’s why playing against programs much larger, as the Eagles do in the ASC, doesn’t faze him. “It is what it is,” he said. “We can sit around and gripe about facilities or the size of our enrollment, or we can step up and take on the challenge. I want to have a team that has pride in its university and that is going to represent it well on and off the court.” ****************** Sitting in the Mabee Gym office that once was occupied by his father-in-law, long-time Ozarks Coach Lonnie Qualls, it’s been more than 20 years since Ramsey has been this excited about the start of a basketball season. “When you’ve been at a place 29 years, like I was at Lamar, it’s just another first game of the season,” said Ramsey. “When preseason practice started this year, I had butterflies and anxiousness that I haven’t had in years. It’s definitely got me recharged.” Ramsey was a track standout at Ozarks as a high jumper and shot and discus thrower, but his first love has always been basketball. Freshly graduated from Ozarks in 1980, Ramsey took over a Lamar program that had not won a district championship since 1934. In just three years the Lady Warriors had won the first of what would become an endless string of district titles on their way to becoming one of the top girls’ programs in the state. Among his players at Lamar he earned the reputation as a demanding but caring coach. “I’ve always had a great rapport with my players, and I think it comes down to having mutual respect for each other and letting them know you care about them as individuals,” he said. “There’s a saying that goes, ‘kids don’t really care what you know until they know you care.’ I believe that. I know I have to go out there every day and earn their respect.” Ramsey hopes to rebuild a women’s program that shone in the 1980s and 90s but has fallen on hard times since. From 1980 to 1995, the Lady Eagles had 12 winning seasons. Since 1995, they have had only three. “I’m aware of the tradition this college has in women’s basketball, and I believe we can have it again,” he said. Ramsey doesn’t expect to change his coaching style now that he is on the college level. “I know this first year is going to be a learning experience for everyone; for me with the college game and for the players with my coaching style,” he said. “I don’t really see my coaching style changing. The game is still the game, and it comes down to fundamentals and having the flexibility as a coach to adapt your style to what kind of players you have. I have people all the time ask me about my coaching style. I tell them I don’t know until I know what kind of players I have.” Ramsey knows the key to success at Ozarks is recruiting. Within an hour of learning he had gotten the job at Ozarks, Ramsey was at a high school all-star game looking for players, and he hasn’t slowed down since. He has sent out more than 2,500 letters and made hundreds of calls to coaches throughout the region searching for players. “The first few months I was just trying to fill out a roster for this year, but now I’m laying the groundwork for next year and the year after that,” he said. “We want to get the right kind of student-athletes here who will represent this university in the best way on the court and in the classroom.” Today, FALL/WINTER 2009 15
Page 3 and 4: University Administration Rick Niec
Page 5 and 6: UOW brings Christmas to county’s
Page 7 and 8: Briefs with an English degree, earn
Page 9 and 10: University meets Mabee challenge U
Page 11 and 12: ous early-morning concert of hymns.
Page 13: What are some of the areas in which
Page 17 and 18: Hartman, Ark. They plan to live in
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Page 21 and 22: First Presbyterian Church, Ponca Ci
Page 23 and 24: Ron and Diane Collins Pat and John
Page 25 and 26: John and Kimberly McFarland *Virgin
Page 27 and 28: John Holder ’90 John Hollowell
Page 29 and 30: Spinal Healthcare Assoc. P.C., Cord
Page 31 and 32: Jack Edwards ’72 and Debra Edward
Page 33 and 34: Kent Presley David Pridgin, Jr. ’
Page 35 and 36: Southside Baptist Church, Paris, Ar
Page 37 and 38: Denver Misenhimer Anne and Ben Quee

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