Coach Bearden

In 2009, Head Coach Leland Bearden, of Smyer High School in Texas, started requiring his girls to shoot 500 3’s every day. But, he realized the process was taking 3-4 hours every evening to reach that goal. So, in 2009, the Smyer Lady Bobcats purchased their first Gun from Shoot-A-Way. That 3-4 hour process was turned into a 45 minute process, and the Smyer Bobcats went on to post a 36-3 overall record in the 2009-10 season and won their first Class A Texas State Championship. The Bobcats finished the season shooting 35% from behind the arc and making 277 3 point shots. They also posted the best free throw percentage in their classification.

After the success the Bobcats experienced in the 09-10 season, Coach Bearden now had a new “problem” on his hands. The girls were becoming so competitive on the Gun that they were waiting until 9:00 at night to get their turn on the Gun. So, Coach Bearden went to work, and in 2010, the Smyer Lady Bobcats purchased their second Gun. Now with a Gun on both sides of the floor, Coach Bearden and his players were able to get out of the gym by 6 or 6:30 every night. Coach Bearden even started using the Gun during practice, 3 to 4 times per week, to get more reps for his guards during their individual breakdown sessions. And guess what happened next? That’s right! The Smyer Bobcats won their 2nd Class A Texas State Championship in 2010-11, posting a 35-2 overall record.

Coach Bearden says, “The Gun has a lot to do with our success. It enables us to get game-like situations and a lot of repetition. I am a die-hard Gun guy.” We want to congratulate Coach Bearden and the Lady Bobcats on their back-to-back Texas State Championships. Our goals, your goals reached!