Episode 69:
Mark French, Jr, is a senior point guard on the Men’s Basketball team at Texas A&M University where he will receive a degree in Marketing and a concentration in Professional Selling. He has been instrumental in helping the program transition from former coach Billy Kennedy to first-year head coach Buzz Williams. After appearing in only eight games total his freshman and sophomore season, Mark earned a scholarship under Billy Kennedy during his Junior season and experienced his first career start while playing in 16 games. Then, at the end of the 2018-19 season, Coach Kennedy was let go and Mark had to start from scratch as a walk-on with the new staff as a senior. As a result of Mark’s work ethic, leadership, selflessness, and commitment to being invaluable without being most valuable…Mark earned a second scholarship from Buzz Williams as he proved himself to be indispensable.
Prior to walking on at Texas A&M Mark enjoyed a highly successful high school basketball career in which he finished his prep career at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, TX, and helped the school capture the 2016 State Championship and earned 2016 TAPPS all-state honors and all-district selection. Mark spent his first three years of high school at Briarcrest High School in Eads, TN, earning back-to-back TSSAA all-region team honors. Mark surpassed 1,200 points, 440 assists, and 120 steals.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- What it took for Mark physically, mentally, and emotionally as a walk-on to earn a scholarship from two different head coaches at Texas A&M
- Mark’s four keys to being invaluable without being most valuable
- How Mark was able to find a way as a walk-on for a second time with a new coach, new culture, and a team full of newcomers to make himself indispensable
- What it means to ‘see the unseen’
- What qualities in a leader resonate with Mark and how he tries to emulate them
- Why it is just as important, if not more important, for Mark to be a coach off the floor to his teammates as it is to be a coach on the floor
- Mark shares the value of playing for two different coaches at Texas A&M who are both givers
Additional resources:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-c-french-jr-649508162/
- Twitter: @M1French
- Instagram: @m1french
- Texas A&M Basketball Roster
