Lockard’s love for competition still alive
Dragons head hoops coach now in 23rd season
Clinton’s head basketball coach, Chris Lockard, is in his 23rd season leading the high school’s hoops program. (photo:Tony Cox )
Lockard, who has been the Dragons’ head coach for more than two decades, took the reins of the program in 2000.
Before that, he was an assistant under his father, Don Lockard, for whom the Clinton High gymnasium is named.
Christ Lockard, a 1988 CHS graduate, played for his dad and the Dragons.
In his time around basketball, Lockard has seen the landscape of education and basketball change.
But he’s back for a 23rd season on the sideline and eager to begin the new season.
He relishes the opportunity to teach the game he loves and the chance to be a competitor.
“I love being able to work with the young guys, and I’m very competitive,” Lockard said.
“I love all sports. I’ve coached football, golf and tennis. I just love all sports. I just love sports, in general. I go to the football games and the baseball games. My dad coached baseball in St. Louis.”
A competitor by nature, Lockard has always had an interest in politics and he might’ve taken that route. But he decided to pursue coaching and education.
“If I didn’t have basketball, I was a pretty good golfer,” he said. “I’ve always liked politics, so I might’ve been a politician,” he said.
“Thank God, I didn’t go into that, especially these days,” he added.
As for the changes in education, for Lockard, that’s all part of the game.
“Everything changes, no matter what profession you’re in,” he said. “That’s just the way it is. You have to find new ways to push the kids to be their best.
“That’s the case whether you’re at Clinton High or anywhere else,” he said.
“When you coach or teach, you have to adapt.
“I don’t think things have changed much. But the culture has changed. I think young people want discipline.”
His father passed away in 2018, but he served as a guide for Chris as he took his place on the Dragons’ sideline.
“I was lucky to have my father as a mentor,” he said.
“He knew how to adapt. He taught me how to adapt and told me and showed me different ways to do things.”
In this era of athletic specialization, Lockard knows that he must coach athletes who play multiple sports because of Clinton’s lower enrollment count.
“We have a lot of multiple sports athletes here and we have to have them so our teams can all compete at their best,” Lockard said.