When talking to Mark Showers, Camp Verde High School’s athletic director and girls’ basketball coach, it quickly becomes obvious he values hard work and dedication.
He also believes in coaching for a nobler reason than money, wins or recognition. And he does know how to take a surprise well.
On Friday, Feb. 3, after honoring the seven seniors from the high school’s basketball team, it was Showers’ turn for some recognition of his hard work and dedication.
The 20-year coach was presented with a plaque and dedication ceremony for his 20 seasons and 406 career wins, amongst other past honors, in front of a packed audience at the newly renamed Dr. Mark J. Westervelt Gymnasium.
“I was dumbfounded,” Showers said. “I had no idea what was happening.”
After receiving the award, a number of Showers’ players from the past two decades streamed across the gymasium to greet him with a hug.
“It’s very humbling to have kids I have worked with during the last 20 years come from different parts of the United States to honor you,” Showers said. “I was shocked, I was excited. At the same time it was just neat that they care enough [to come].”
During the years, Showers has accumulated a number of awards, but you would never know unless you asked; and even if you do, you might not get the answer you wanted. He said when his wife asked him how many wins he has accumulated, she got irritated that he did not know the concrete number.
“I just don’t keep track,” he said.
Showers, who is currently sixth among active coaches in the Arizona Interscholastic Association with a 406-183 overall record, has also been a six-time Region Coach of the Year, the 2007 Division 2A Coach of the Year, a two-time all star coach, the 2007 Arizona Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Athletic Director of the Year, a two-time AIA State Championship semifinalist and has reached the championship game once. He is also the 10th most winning coach overall in AIA history.
But these things are not what drive Showers.
“If you’re coaching because you want to win or make money, you’re in it for the wrong reasons,” Showers said. “Winning is just winning, it doesn’t last.”
What does drive him is what formed those strong relationships with his players, evident now in his current young team’s eyes during games, and obvious in the number of past players who made the trip back to Camp Verde for a ceremony that lasted no more than 15 minutes.
Showers credited his coaching colleagues for his awards and honors during the years, as they are the ones who do the voting and selecting, he said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have coaching colleagues who understand what you want to do and they want to do the same thing,” Showers said.
Showers’ 2017 squad qualified for the AIA State Championship after finishing the regular season at 17-7 overall and 7-3 in Division 2A Central Section play, and hopes to host an AIA State Championship game in the coming weeks.
