Merritt cements his own legacy at Ouachita

There comes a time when every coach knows.

It gets harder to bounce back on a few hours sleep. The road trips seem longer, the losses tougher and the time apart from family more vivid.

Soon you realize what you know is it’s time to do something else. Every coach can try to fight the game, but it always wins.

John Merritt knew it was time.

In any profession 25 years is a long time to do anything and Merritt wasn’t going to fight it. With his legacy firmly cemented as one of the best girls basketball coaches of his era, he stepped away from the game after spending the last 18 years as the head coach at St. Frederick and Ouachita.

“I feel blessed there’s no question about it,” Merritt said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to coach a lot of talented kids that wanted to compete and get better.

“I hope when people look back on what we did they can appreciate that we gave all we had day-in and day-out and our kids competed.”

Merritt isn’t stepping away from Ouachita completely though. His role is just evolving as he completes the process of getting his administration certification. The holiday season has weighed hard on Merritt over the last few years as his family continues to grow. Now he has that sought after time to enjoy his two grandchildren along with his wife Laurie, who he can’t thank enough for supporting him starting in the earliest days of his career at then-Northeast Louisiana University.

Within the confines of basketball, Merritt the coach leaves behind a stellar record of success. A 468-187 overall record, a state championship, three Top-28 appearances and 10 overall district titles.

He took a chance on St. Frederick in 1997, not only leaving the staff of his mentor Mike Vining at NLU, but making the transition from coaching young men at the college level to high school girls. In the process Merritt built the Lady Warriors into a powerhouse that culminated in a 2001 runner-up finish and the 2002 Class 2A state title behind Rita Birden and Stacey Anthony.

Merritt modestly said that St. Fred team was so good it was his job to just ‘‘not screw it up.’’

The prep scene got to know Merritt during those years as much as he did it, finding him carrying many of the same traits as Vining, who Merritt calls his ‘‘second father.’’ They’re both personable in the same way and their teams got up and down the floor in similar styles. They even crouched in the coach’s box the same way.

“He’s a kid from the country like I am — just from different parts. When I met him he was working his way through school and it wasn’t easy for him,” Vining said. “He’s always understood not just the game but people and that’s why he’s been so successful and will continue to be in whatever he does.”

Vining and Indian basketball took Merritt to five NCAA tournaments and to places like Tokyo and Hawaii. Not bad for a kid from Tensas Parish.

Merritt also counted Leon Barmore, Kim Mulkey — Merritt is a frequent visitor at Baylor practices — and the late Kurt Budke as mentors, who despite being Lady Techster luminaries always had time for an NLU boy.

There were big shoes to fill when Merritt arrived at Ouachita in 2003, taking over for the highly successful Robert Mitcham. The Lady Lions remained a hardwood force under Merritt, battling at the top of Class 5A with Southwood, Natchitoches Central and West Monroe.

Ouachita’s longstanding rivalry with West Monroe took on a different dynamic during Merritt’s tenure. The games on the court were intense, but for the last eight years the wins or the losses came against one of his best friends in the profession, Lady Rebels head coach John Green.

“What a fantastic rivalry we had. It was the perfect storm of great games between teams that just carried themselves so well,” Green said. “That’s a tribute to John and the way he coached those players. The rivalry is sorely going to miss him being a part of it.”

At both stops in the high school ranks, Merritt credited his principals Grady Jones at St. Frederick and Todd Guice at Ouachita for being ‘‘the best’’ when it came to athletic administration.

While championships are always the ultimate high in the profession, it’s not those teams that Merritt will remember the most, but instead the ones who maximized the potential they had. Take his last St. Frederick team in 2003 that made it to the quarterfinals after replacing all five starters. Or the 2008 Ouachita team that fell short of championship expectations as Quinishia McDowell battled an ACL injury.

Merritt also placed the 2013-14 Lady Lions up there, who led by current ULM Warhawk Daja Chase and University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajun T’Erika Bell, were ranked No. 1 in the state but were upset in the second round of the playoffs.

“That was unfortunate but sometimes the results just don’t go the way you want,” Merritt said. “Despite a disappointing end those kids bought in and played into those expectations more than any team I’ve ever had both in practice and games.”

Merritt now has the family time he covets, but in a way, he has that same time for his Lady Lion family.

He’ll still be able to visit with former Lady Lion and Miami Hurricane Maria Brown when she comes to the Madhouse to scrimmage with the team. Now he might actually have more time to get out and watch Chase at ULM, Bell down in Lafayette and Kevione Moten at Louisiana Tech.

“Those kinds of things mean the world to me,” Merritt said. “Those girls can still come back and know they have someone to talk to.

“These kids through the years have made me a better person and better coach and I hope I was able to do the same with them.”

Connect with Adam on Twitter @adam_hunsucker

MERRITT’S LEGACY

2003-2015:Ouachita Parish High School, Head Coach

279-136 record, 2012 Top-28 appearance, five district championships

1997-2003: St. Frederick High School, Head Coach

189-51 record, 2002 Class 2A state champions, 2001 Class 2A runner-up, two Top-28 appearances, five district titles

1990-1997: Northeast Louisiana University, Student Assistant (1990-91), Graduate Assistant (1991-93), Assistant Coach (1993-97)

Six Southland Conference regular season championships, five Southland Conference tournament championships, five NCAA tournament berths