WHITE HALL, Ark. — When state tournaments get started on Tuesday, the White Hall boys basketball team will be there for the first time since 2015.
That’s enough to get any coach excited, but for Josh Hayes, this means something even more.
“I’m a happy coach but I’m even happier as a father," Coach Hayes explained.
Coach Hayes is in his fourth year with the Bulldogs, but he’s been with star guard Jai’Chaunn Hayes for even longer.
“It happened fast I just can’t believe it,” said the coach. “I was just carrying this joker around five years ago, now he’s taller than me, weighing more than me, and becoming a man.”
After White Hall clinched a spot in their first state tourney in almost a decade, the Hayes father-son pair were able to take it all in
“It means the world,” said Jai’Chaunn. “Me and my dad have had our ups and downs because of this game, so now to thrive and get to the postseason, it’s just amazing to do it with him.”
“Getting to do this with my son, words can’t explain it,” said Coach Hayes.
Of course, it hasn’t always been easy having your dad be a former player himself.
Coach Josh Hayes went to Parkview High School, then played collegiately at both Ole Miss and UCA.
“I wanted it more than them. I wanted it for them,” said Coach Hayes. “I was one of those crazy dads at the game, embarrassing his kids and embarrassing himself. Thank God for my close circle and friends for checking me and my behavior.”
“The Game almost pulled us away from each other, but it also got us right back intact,” said Jai’Chaunn. “It’s a great journey and I’m looking forward to what’s next."
There have been plenty of obstacles.
Having his dad there wasn't the only constant for Jai on the court, the goggles that he wears when he plays have been there as well.
“It’s definitely something, but I don’t really like people feeling sorry for me,” Jai’Chaunn explained.
“We’ve been keeping that under wraps for eight years,” said Coach Hayes.
It was only in the last year that the Hayes' felt comfortable sharing that Jai has glaucoma, and is legally blind in one eye.
“I’ve never known what it’s been like to see out of both eyes, so I just thought it was normal. I just have to deal with it, that’s who I am," Jai’Chaunn described.
But now, he just hopes he can inspire.
“I’ve heard that more people are comfortable wearing goggles because I wear them, so I just want to motivate as many people as I can," he added.
Jai’Chaunn Hayes holds offers from multiple SEC schools, including Arkansas, and remains driven by what’s ahead— not what he’s overcome.
“What’s next? You can’t dwell on the good or bad, just what’s next," Jai'Chaunn said.
As excited as he is for his son’s future, Coach Hayes is happy to linger in these moments a little longer, as both coach and player and father and son.
“You could take me tomorrow and I couldn’t get any happier, to see what he’s gone through and be able to give him his first state tournament. It’s the best feeling you can have as a former player, as a dad, and as a coach. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life," Coach Hayes explained.
White Hall takes on Alma at 5:30 p.m. in Searcy on Tuesday in the 5A state tournament.