Jeff Parsons has been successful everywhere he has coached. He has inspired not only his players but also many young coaches. Coach Parsons has been a mentor to many thru the years.
Today he has moved up to become an Athletic Director and a Principal, where he is using the same leadership skills that he used in coaching.
I have asked some former players and coaches to share their experiences working for and working with Coach Parsons.
Trevor Lay
2011-2014 ( Freshman-Senior year of High School
One thing that always stood out to me regarding Coach P was his dedication and commitment to basketball season. The preparation for not only games but practices was top tier, and you knew that coach P was spending countless hours from November 1st through the end of the season preparing for any possible match ups or situations. Also, I feel like coach P was great at letting his players take control and handle things themselves as well as utilizing his assistants in specific areas to be the most effective. Two other characteristics that stick out to me regarding coach P was energy and discipline.
One of the quotes that has always stuck with me is “ for every person who is giving you credit there is always 10 that is bringing you down.” “if your good enough people will tell you, you don’t have to tell anyone”
Coach P had a major impact on me through not only through my High School playing days but in college athletics and even still today. One of the things that has been a major part of my life Is setting goals. Me and coach P were fortunate enough to accomplish some goals together, but we also failed to obtain some goals together. The lessons learned from those experiences in handling adversity, preparation, discipline, and time put in is what has had an impact on me.
My favorite game memory was breaking the school record for wins by winning our 30thgame at Brimfield vs Brimfield in the sectional semi-final. We set that goal before the season started and to accomplish that goal at the end of the year was special. Also, funny enough one of my favorite practice memories was my sophomore year after we got blown out the night prior. Showed up to practice and were told to put the basketballs away because we wouldn’t be needing them. An hour and a half of straight conditioning and defensive slides but for some reason that practice always get brought up in conversation. I believe 90 minutes was on the game clock when we started running and all of us players were like there’s no way will run for this long. Sure enough we did.
Michael Parsons
Played for from 2008-2012
Quote of Coach Parsons “ I can’t play you if you’re not gonna guard somebody”
I wouldn’t necessarily say it was my favorite but memorable for sure, we had lost to the Henry Mallards on January 7th, 2012 with a score of 72-47. January 8th, (next day) He put 45 minutes up on the clock and we ran for 45 straight minutes. I remember him saying if we’re getting beat this bad then we aren’t in shape so we will be running for the next 45 minutes. We later upset Galva in the Regional Semi Finals 46-42, after they had just beaten us 3 times in the regular season, that was a memory I’ll never forget.
2005-2009
Coach Parsons has had a tremendous impact on me. Being part of his program for four years, I couldn't have asked for a better playing experience. He helped shape my confidence, pushed me to reach my potential, and demonstrated what it truly means to work hard. Even after graduating high school, Coach Parsons has always been there, offering support and encouragement. I'm incredibly grateful to have played under him, but even more grateful for the life lessons and the strong relationship we continue to have.
I was Pars's assistants from 2000-2003 at Roseville High School they consolidated with Monmouth
The thing that has stuck with me for the 20+ years since we coached together was he made the best practice plans you could imagine. He was way before his time with typing out (never handwritting) his practices down to the minute. No drill was ever longer than 10 minutes. All practices were up tempo. Working with him felt like we were ahead of every one else. Anytime a coach tell me how they practice, I think back to when me and Pars were together and how meticulous he was about planning practices. He was doing things before anyone else.
Again, I have so many fond memories with Pars. But I think the 1 that sticks out the most was when we actually got upset in the regional championship my last year at Roseville. That was the most pain I've ever felt after a game and still is to this day. We were both so close with that team. Pars wanted that game so badly. It was heartbreaking and I still think about that loss. So I try to love all of my teams the way he did. Pars taught me that you've got to be in the fight with your team and work just as hard as the players do.
Played for from 2008-2012
Assisted him in coaching 2019-2020
What made my father successful was the amount of time he put into every aspect of the game. He was always going to clinics expanding his knowledge of the game. He spent countless hours in our basement watching film, watching college basketball trying to learn in anyway he could.
He was always prepared from practice plans to game plans. He always told us he would feel awful if he put us in a situation that he could have prepared us for. You can go back and look probably somewhere in his basement storage you’ll find a practice plan down to the minute of everything we did for that specific day. He had the plans down to the minute on paper.
Quote of Coach Parsons “ I can’t play you if you’re not gonna guard somebody”
My father’s impact on me was obviously huge, I saw both sides of him (Dad & Coach). He fell in love with not just the game but the process in which it takes to be successful. He’s a small town kill from Williamsfield, population 500. He always wanted to be a successful basketball coach in West Central Illinois, my father came from small town Billtown to the Hall of Fame in 2020, he’s living proof of setting your goals, falling in love with the process and hardwork/work ethic will get you where you need to be. I have not seen many people have a better work ethic than my father, he refuses to get out coached or out worked.
I wouldn’t necessarily say it was my favorite but memorable for sure, we had lost to the Henry Mallards on January 7th, 2012 with a score of 72-47. January 8th, (next day) He put 45 minutes up on the clock and we ran for 45 straight minutes. I remember him saying if we’re getting beat this bad then we aren’t in shape so we will be running for the next 45 minutes. We later upset Galva in the Regional Semi Finals 46-42, after they had just beaten us 3 times in the regular season, that was a memory I’ll never forget.
Some of my greatest memories of my father as a coach were probably on the baseball diamond, he was the head coach of our Co-op with Annawan for baseball from 2006 to 2017. In our baseball season in 2012 we finished with a 27-7 record, won the Lincoln Trail Conference (15-3) snd won 3 straight regional titles. Coach Parsons won almost 200 games in baseball before he stepped down from baseball to become the athletic director at Wethersfield in 2017.
Nate Kohler
2005-2009
Coach Parsons was always extremely prepared—practice plans, scouting reports, everything was well-organized. He spent countless hours watching film and was a true student of the game. What made him especially successful was that he had a clear system and framework for how he wanted his teams to play. He did a great job of adjusting to his players’ strengths, always putting his teams and players in positions to succeed.
Coach Parsons implemented many routines throughout his program. I still remember the beginning of practices at the start of the year: we would stretch, do stationary ball handling, full-court 1x1, defensive slides, condition, and 1x1 closeouts. One thing that always stood out was a quote he would use when teaching offense: “This isn’t rocket science.” It reminded us to keep the game simple.
Coach Parsons has had a tremendous impact on me. Being part of his program for four years, I couldn't have asked for a better playing experience. He helped shape my confidence, pushed me to reach my potential, and demonstrated what it truly means to work hard. Even after graduating high school, Coach Parsons has always been there, offering support and encouragement. I'm incredibly grateful to have played under him, but even more grateful for the life lessons and the strong relationship we continue to have.
One of my favorite game memories was the 2008 regional championship game against Abingdon on their home court. Abingdon had a really good, tough, experienced group, and it was such an amazing experience to compete in that type of atmosphere. Winning that game, and helping Coach Parsons earn his first regional title for Wethersfield, will always be a special memory.
Ryan Brown- Taylorville
I was Pars's assistants from 2000-2003 at Roseville High School they consolidated with Monmouth
I think there are several things that make Pars successful but I think the number 1 thing that maybe people don't see unless you were on his staff is just how organized he is. Every drill, all his clinic notes, scouting reports etc were all filed away and he knew exactly where to find them. I can't imagine how may paper copies of basketball documents he has. He's an encyclopedia of basketball knowledge. It's one thing to have decades of experience but then throw in all the note-taking he did, there wasn't anything his teams weren't ready for. His organization made him sharp as a tack.
The thing that has stuck with me for the 20+ years since we coached together was he made the best practice plans you could imagine. He was way before his time with typing out (never handwritting) his practices down to the minute. No drill was ever longer than 10 minutes. All practices were up tempo. Working with him felt like we were ahead of every one else. Anytime a coach tell me how they practice, I think back to when me and Pars were together and how meticulous he was about planning practices. He was doing things before anyone else.
Coach couldn't have had a bigger impact on my life and career as a teacher and coach. I mean that dearly. When he hired me, I was a 20 year old college kid at WIU and then became a dad at 21. Without him giving me a chance, I'm not writing this email to you right now. He taught me all the ins and outs of being a teacher, coach, and husband.
Again, I have so many fond memories with Pars. But I think the 1 that sticks out the most was when we actually got upset in the regional championship my last year at Roseville. That was the most pain I've ever felt after a game and still is to this day. We were both so close with that team. Pars wanted that game so badly. It was heartbreaking and I still think about that loss. So I try to love all of my teams the way he did. Pars taught me that you've got to be in the fight with your team and work just as hard as the players do.
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