John Shulman
photo by Jeff Birchfield
John Shulman describes it as being at the top of the mountain, living out his dream - and at the very bottom feeling rejected.
Now in his third season as head basketball coach at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the Johnson City native is enjoying his profession more than ever.
At 55, he’s learned whether he was coaching at the NCAA Division I level at Chattanooga for nine years, at McCallie High School in Chattanooga or back at his first job, coaching the junior varsity team at his alma mater, University High, it’s all about the people.
It’s why he gladly accepted an invitation from Volunteer High School coach Mike Poe to speak at Thursday’s Upper Lakes Conference media night.
“I’ve been on the mountaintop on CBS playing against Chris Paul and Wake Forest with LeBron sitting behind our bench,” he said.
“Nine years later, those people (at Chattanooga) don’t want me anymore. I’m at UAH now, was at McCallie. I was a JV coach at University High. Levels don’t matter. People do.”
He was referring to a 2005 NCAA tournament game where his Chattanooga team led the second-seeded Demon Deacons at the half.
Another moment at Chattanooga was the Mocs’ 69-68 win over Tennessee in 2004. It was Mocs’ first win over the Vols in 80 years. During his time with the Mocs, he led them to four Southern Conference North championships and two NCAA tournament bids. He explained those aren’t the only major victories he counts.
“Some of my best memories are playing basketball for University High against Unaka. I remember the district semis and losing my mind over that,” he said. “As a coach, beating (for- mer College of Charleston coach) Bobby Cremins to reach the NCAA tournament, that was special.
“Beating Valdosta State in the championship of the GSC (Gulf South Conference) championship my first year (at Huntsville), that was a special moment. Getting to the championship game of the TSSAA against Brentwood Academy, that was special. That’s why I say levels mean nothing.”
He coached at McCallie High School for four seasons starting in 2014, leading his team to two state semifinal appearances and the aforementioned championship game. It was important for him to stay in Chattanooga with his family.
His family includes the former Amy Engle, a record-setting player at Unicoi County and later the 1996 SoCon player of the year at ETSU. They have three sons, one who plays on his Alabama-Huntsville team, another at Lipscomb and the youngest, a freshman in high school.
Shulman joked that Thursday night was different from recent visits to Northeast Tennessee, which have been to honor his wife.
“I had to come up to her hall of fame deal at ETSU and to Unicoi County when they retired her jersey,” he said. “We never come up as a family for me. I’m very smart. I married good.”
His ties remain strong to the area and he says he would put the University High and Unaka rivalry up against any from the larger schools, remembering the intense battles between the Junior Bucs and Rangers in Snavely Gymnasium.
During his time at Chattanooga, Shulman coached former Science Hill stars Omar Wattad and Josh Odem. It was no accident that he recruited strong in his hometown. He hated that he missed out on another Johnson City player, who ended up at the University of Massachusetts.
“I always wanted to coach Jovann Johnson,” he said. “Jovann knew we were going to play him at the 4 position and he wanted to be the 2 (shooting guard). We told him we would recruit him as a 2, but he would be a post player the next year. I always wanted to coach East Tennessee guys. I lived 29 years up here, my parents are buried here and it’s a special place.”
Shulman was a standout college athlete, but not in basketball. He started his career as a tennis player at Middle Tennessee State before he transferred to ETSU for his final three seasons. He was the program’s first Academic All-American in 1989, won 98 singles matches and reached the semifinals of the Southern Conference tournament three times.
However, basketball was his passion and he started his coaching career at Wofford. In 1990, he became a graduate assistant at ETSU and was promoted to assistant coach in 1992. His time with the Bucs included another special memory, an 87-80 upset of Arizona in the 1992 NCAA tournament.
He also coached at Tennessee Tech as an assistant to former North Carolina guard Jeff Lebo.
Alabama-Huntsville is coming off a 2020-21 year in which the Chargers finished 15-4 after being ranked throughout the season. They peaked at No. 10 in the rankings and won the Gulf South Conference West Division regular- season championship and reached the South Regional championship game in the NCAA Division II tournament.
It came on the heels of Shulman’s first season at Huntsville, when the Chargers finished 26-5 and ended the season on a nine-game winning streak. They won the Gulf South Confer- ence tournament title before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the NCAA tournament.
In a speech that lasted over 30 minutes, Shulman explained how after playing for Coach Marty Street at University High, he worked multiple basketball camps to achieve his goal of becoming a coach.
It was part of the theme that hard work and effort add up to more wins than talent. He stressed how your decisions reveal your priorities, such as the time a player spends in the gym honing his or her craft.
He talked about what a college coach wants to hear when recruiting a player. It isn’t how many points he has scored, but how his team does. Shulman encouraged the players to send e-mails or letters that are personally addressed to coaches.
“I don’t want to coach common people. I want people who stand out and are used to winning,” he said. “I don’t want an email you’re sending to every other coach in the conference. You’ve got to prepare and believe in yourself. Believe and dream are powerful words.”