Zach Summers

Keokuk Jr./Sr. High Activities Director & Head Boys Basketball Coach

[IGHSAU @IGHSAU]

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬!☄️⚽️

#7 North Polk upsets #2 Waverly-Shell Rock 2-1! They will play the winner of DCG vs Bishop Heelan in the Class 2A Semifinals at 2:45 on Thursday, June 11

2026 State Soccer Presented by @iowafarmbureau

Final score brought to you by @farewaystores

#IGHSAU #IowaGirl #StateSoccer

[Zach Summers @Coach_Summers]

@IHSAA Fastest High Schooler in Iowa, Ryan Bair. Congratulations!!!

[Coach Jeff Barnes @JeffBarnes52]

As an AD, my job is to bring in and retain coaches who can build, develop, and win. At the same time, good coaches want to be in environments where they have a real opportunity to succeed.

If a school’s vision does not prioritize winning or fails to provide the tools, support, and structure needed for success, it will struggle to attract and retain high level coaches. Talented coaches are intentional about where they invest their time and energy.

Winning is not about cutting corners or doing it at all costs. It is about alignment. When you have strong coaches, the right resources, and a clear commitment to success, those pieces work together. When everyone is not aligned, the culture is poisoned. That alignment is what builds a sustainable, competitive program.

[Riley Jensen @RileyJensen]

30 years ago I was the starting QB at Utah State University. My senior year I got benched. For the next 15 years I walked around feeling like a certified loser. Then I read this quote from Pat Summitt:
'Winning is fun… Sure. But winning is not the point.
Wanting to win is the point.
Not giving up is the point.
Never letting up is the point.
Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.'
It snapped me out of it. If you’re still carrying a sports setback, a benching, a missed opportunity, or any “I’m not enough” story… this is your permission slip to drop it. The game isn’t over. Your story is not yet written. You are still a work in progress. The point is you keep wanting it. You keep getting up. And you listen to that quiet voice that says, "I will try again tomorrow."

[Evan Rodriguez @EvanRodriguezCT]

After the team flew back following UConn’s National Championship loss, Tarris Reed Jr. prepared a speech on short notice for UConn’s Athletes In Action meeting.

“I told myself I would let the Holy Spirit speak through me.”

He revealed that night, both Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold of UConn WBB got baptized

Truly amazing work and an inspirational message from T-Reed 🙏

(Via iamtarrisreed/IG)

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

“All year we have been saying the talent is our floor but our character will determine our ceiling.
And I am just so confident in their character, and that’s what determined how they played today.”

Talent makes you comparable.
Character makes you unforgettable.

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

Ben McCollum shares what it feels like to be around first-place people and a first-place culture.

"I went to Northwest Missouri State, and my first practice with Steve Tapmeyer - best coach I've ever been around - I sat there and I'm like, 'This is what first place feels like. This is what a first-place culture feels like. This is what first-place people feel like.'"

That was the wake-up call. He realized what first-place people have:
"They've got an extreme work ethic. They've got an edge to 'em that other people don't - a competitive spirit."

Then he quoted John Thompson:
"You can tame a fool a lot quicker than you can resurrect a corpse...We want guys with a little edge to 'em."

You can coach skills, but you can't coach competitive spirit. You don't want to consistently coach their effort and attitude.

The last thing they look for: Energy givers.
"Over the years, we found that guys that are moody don't make it in our program."

"If you're moody, if you have low energy, if you suck the life out of the building - you don't make it."

Talent isn't enough. Your energy matters. Your attitude matters.

Successful people have a competitive edge, they bring energy, and they look to consistently get better.

They raise the standard through what they do.
(🎥 Watts Happening Podcast)

[Zach Summers @Coach_Summers]

@SportsGreatest0 Hahaha this is the best

[Jesse Owen @CoachJesseOwen]

🎯"The report shares that by allowing practice time to be started, or even completed, during the school day, the pressure on a students' after school hours is significantly reduced, which in turn allows them to focus on academics, and utilizing after-school activities like tutoring, mental health services, or holding a job."
https://t.co/2YrriTdJuB

[Chris Duerr @ChrisDuerr]

64-62 Keokuk beats West Hancock in OT.

Game of the year!

[Jon Beck @CoachJonBeck]

Championship teams:

Show up on time
Treat others with respect
Seek uncomfortable growth
Believe in each other
Have great practices
Drop individual agendas
Uplift teammates
Put in extra work outside of practice
Trust coach’s plan
Compete
Accept roles
Communicate
Foster leadership

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

John Calipari shares one of the secrets to reaching your potential.

"If you're not a grinder, you're never going to max out."

Grinders earn it.

They choose to earn it every day through their work ethic, discipline, and consistency.

[Basketball Scoop @Bballscoop1]

Western Illinois University fun fact:
Back in 2003 when Jim Kerwin retired, Brad Underwood was his top assistant and wanted to take over as the Head Coach at WIU and the AD at the time (Tim Van Alstine) would not even give Brad a sniff at the job. Tim hired Derek Thomas.

[Cooper Mitchell - HomeGymGuy @homegymcoop]

My roommate and lifting partner in college was an ardent atheist.

I've been a devout Christian my entire life.

We spent every waking moment together, from the dorm room to the gym. I truly loved him like a brother.

After school ended, we went our separate ways and talked, at most, once a year.

He called me the other day to let me know he was having twins. This was literally one year after my Wife and I had ours.

In addition to the news of the babies, he let me know that he had dedicated his life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I wept.

We debated theology constantly in school.

He would go with me to church every once in a while because he said he liked the "hot girls." I didn't care, I just wanted him to sit under hot Gospel preaching.

I felt like I failed him in a lot of ways. My answers weren't always the most buttoned up, and although I was living for the Lord, he still saw my sin daily.

Hearing his testimony, I was reminded that I have no power to save. It is the Lord's and His alone.

Let me encourage you to not grow weary in doing good.

You may not see the fruit of your efforts for years, or ever at all. But, seeing the fruit is not your duty. Planting and watering it is.

[The Next Round @NextRoundLive]

Mario Cristobal on getting fired at FIU:

"Sometimes if you don't move and God wants you to move, He'll kick you so you can move... It was a blessing because I had the opportunity to go learn under Coach Saban... and it all led back to here"

#GoCanes #NationalChampionship #CFBPlayoff

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

Tom Izzo shares why the best thing a leader can do is hold people accountable to their own dreams and how he does this with his teams.

"I always ask them: What do you think my job is for you?"

Most players don't know how to answer. So Izzo tells them:

"The best thing I could do for you is to hold you accountable to your dreams and goals - not mine."

"Sometimes as leaders, we look at what we want instead of what they want."

Izzo has each player write down their goals on a card. Then he uses that card when they push back.

"When he's mad at me because I'm on his butt about academics, I say: You told me you wanted to be an academic All-American. That's not my goal. That was your goal. My job - if I do my job right - is to hold you accountable to your goals."

Leadership isn't about pushing your agenda. It's about helping people become who they said they wanted to be.

Hold them to their dreams - not yours.
(🎥 Michigan Association of Counties 2020)

[Don Williams @Don_K_Williams]

Athlete: Coach… I think I want to quit.

Coach: Okay. Then let’s talk about why.

Athlete: I’m tired. All the early mornings, the pain, the pressure. Sometimes I wake up and wonder what I’m even doing this for.

Coach: That’s not quitting. That’s being human. Doubt shows up when you’re close to something that matters.

Athlete: But I’m not even sure I’m good enough. I look around and see people stronger, faster… happier.

Coach: Comparison is a liar. It shows you everyone’s surface but hides their struggle. You don’t need to be better than them. You need to be better than yesterday.

Athlete: What if I never win? What if I give everything and still fall short?

Coach: Then you’ll walk away with something most never touch—truth. The kind you only find when you’ve emptied yourself for something bigger than comfort.

Athlete: So… you think I should keep going?

Coach: I think you already know the answer. You wouldn’t be having this conversation if you truly wanted to stop. You just want someone to remind you that it’s worth it.

Athlete: It hurts, Coach. Some days, it really hurts.

Coach: Good. That means you care. And nothing worth having comes without pain. Now breathe. You’ve made it through every hard day so far.
Most quit before the breakthrough!

Don’t be like most!

[Cam Cleeland @CamCleeland]

Just my 2 cents:

College Sports isn’t where this epidemic started.
Did you sign your 6 year-old up for travel sports?
4 different teams in the last year or 2?
Did you quit Little League & your School’s rec team to travel to Texas & Florida at age 9.
Is every weekend at the Travelodge with your kids numbered sweatshirt on at 8am, blaring some premade, walk up song montage.
Did you move your kid to a new school that you don’t even live in multiple times in their high school career?chasing the, it’s so much better there mindset, because the friends parents talked you into it and your excuses was, just wanna be part of winners.
Did you have a meeting to get the volunteer parent coach fired or the school’s admin coach fired because he/she didn’t play your kid?
Did you pay a personal trainer thousands of dollars all to watch your kid get burned out and tell you this sucks I just wanna play video games?
Do you run your kids, social media, YouTube and NIL-potential so that you can market the next big star.

Folks, we’re all guilty of wanting something better but stop acting and blaming college sports. That ain’t the problem here. This happens way before they get to college.

How much money does it take to buy you or your family?

Did you fall for the ole…
Better Join the, “
Select”, “Elite”, “Top”, “Premier” Team sales pitch? Only to figure out you just ended up funding the scholarships for the A-Team .

ADULTS, kids learn from Adults, they are taught & influenced by Adults.

The Great “Coach Baird” always called us Kids, because that’s what we were, immature, impressionable Kids.

Loyalty, commitment, integrity, and honesty is taught at the foundation, start there and we fix the issue.

I Bleed 💜💛 forever, & I”ll leave you with the legendary “Coach Hart” quote…
“Move The Drill, 5 yards Up”

GO DAWGS! ☔️

[Lincoln @flabbytofit99]

My 5-year-old came to me frustrated: "Dad, I'm bad at math."

Old me would have said: "No you're not! You're smart!"

But that doesn't help. It actually makes it worse.

Here's what I said instead:

"You're not bad at math. You're just not good at it YET. Your brain is still learning. Every mistake you make is teaching you something new."

Her face changed. "So I CAN get better?"

"Absolutely. You just have to keep trying."

That's a growth mindset.

The difference between:
"I'm not good at this" (fixed)
"I'm not good at this YET" (growth)

Is massive.

Here's how I'm teaching my kids growth mindset:

1. I praise EFFORT, not results

Instead of "You're so smart," I say "You worked really hard on that."

This teaches them: effort matters more than natural ability.

2. I add "YET" to everything

"I can't do this YET."
"I'm not good at that YET."

One word. Changes their entire perspective from impossible to possible.

3. I let them fail

I don't rescue them from every mistake. I let them struggle.

Then I ask:
• "What did you learn?"
• "What will you try differently?"

Failure isn't the enemy. Quitting is.

4. I model it

When I mess up, I say it out loud:

"I really struggled with that, but I'm going to keep working on it."

They need to see ME fail and persist.

5. I celebrate the struggle

When they're frustrated but still trying, I say:

"I love that you're not giving up. Your brain is growing right now."

Make struggle something to be PROUD of.

Why this matters:

Growth mindset kids:
✓ Try harder
✓ Persist longer
✓ Bounce back from setbacks
✓ Take on challenges
✓ Believe they can improve

Fixed mindset kids:
✗ Give up easily
✗ Avoid challenges
✗ See failure as proof they're not capable
✗ Stay in their comfort zone

Your words shape how your kids see themselves.

"You're so smart" sounds like a compliment. But it teaches them their intelligence is FIXED.

"You worked so hard" teaches them EFFORT is what matters.

One creates fragile kids who avoid challenges.
The other creates resilient kids who embrace them.

Which one are you building?

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

"We're an instant gratification era.
We're trying to skip the step of adversity and growth and you're never going to be able to skip that in life.
You're going to have to face it."

If you choose what's easy, life becomes hard.
If you choose what's hard, life becomes easy.