Kemper County High School boys basketball coach John Alan Darnell, left, and forward Matt Dale helped lead the Wildcats to an MHSAA Class 3A championship this past season.

DE KALB — As John Alan Darnell sat on a driller off of the Gulf of Mexico three years ago, he lamented his recent decision to walk away from the game of basketball to pursue a career in the oil industry. He decided to take a hiatus from coaching, and resigned from his position at Enterprise High School.

But he’d soon come to regret that decision, and said he literally prayed for another opportunity to coach. It didn’t matter where that position led him, he just knew he needed to be back on a basketball court.

“I took a year off, and that showed me that I belonged in a school and around young kids,” Darnell, 33, recalled. “It made my love for basketball grow even more.”

Darnell’s prayers were answered in August 2013 when he accepted a position at Beaumont Elementary School in Perry County, where he would coach junior-high level basketball.

“That’s how badly I wanted to do it,” Darnell said. “I coached the middle school boys and girls down there for one year.”

Around the time Darnell began acclimating himself at Beaumont, Matt Dale was preparing to enter his sophomore year at Kemper County High School. And while the two had no previous knowledge of the other, their paths would soon merge. Kemper County hired Darnell in the summer of 2014, bringing the Kemper County native back home, and giving him a second chance at basketball.

A lot has changed in two years.

In March, Kemper County defeated Forest High School 54-50, giving Darnell and Dale a state championship, also earning the duo The Meridian Star’s 2016 All-Metro Boys Coach and Player of the Year honors.

Once he arrived at Kemper County, it didn’t take long for Dale to appear on Darnell’s radar.

“I took the job and every coach was calling me saying, ‘Hey, man, you have one of the best sophomores in the state,’” Darnell said. “They said, ‘He’s 6-foot-6, 300 pounds.’ I was thinking, ‘I’ll meet this guy.’ We go out there to the assembly when school starts, and you have to call your homeroom, and sure enough, he’s in my first-period class.”

Thus was the genesis of their relationship. After that, the two would see each other each day in Darnell’s first-period world history class.

“Our first year was pretty amazing,” Dale, 17, said as he flashed a wide smile. “Coach is a pretty cool guy; he’s a funny guy. When he gets on you on the court, his facial expressions are pretty funny. We get along and work well together.”

At 6-foot-6, Dale isn’t easy to miss. And he’s still growing. A gifted athlete who also starred as an offensive tackle on Kemper County’s football team last season, Dale’s aptitude has caught the attention of college basketball and football coaches.

“He plays hard and he plays with a lot of heart,” Darnell said. “He’s basically the hardest worker I have. You wouldn’t think it, but he’s the one diving on the floor for loose balls, and he gets a lot of steals. From day one, he’s been very coachable.”

Darnell said Dale’s natural leadership commands the attention and respect of his teammates, an attribute that spans beyond the basketball court and weight room. Dale, the youngest child in his family, said he embraces the role of team leader, and he likes setting an example for his teammates to follow.

“Being a leader is a very hard thing to do. Anybody can come on the court and do what they have to do, but being a team leader, you have to be accountable to yourself and to your teammates,” Dale said. “When you come into the gym, you have to be on your Ps and Qs, because they’re looking at you. And once they see that you are, they will want to get on your level. I take that role seriously because I like when people look up to me.”

Fortunately for Dale, the Wildcats’ recent success has netted him even more people who now look up to him.

Dale and Darnell have had to adjust to the increased visibility that accompanies winning a ring.

“Everyone just looks at you a bit better,” Dale said about his newfound celebrity. “Ever since we won that championship, there have been a lot of, ‘Hey, Matt, you all did a good job and I’m proud of y’all.’ That, to me, means a lot. I also really liked how when we went to Jackson, the whole community came together and came down to support us. People who really never spent time around each other came together to show support. That meant a lot. It was really nice.”

With Dale and a bevy of other players from this year’s state championship team returning next season, the two said their road to an encore performance will not come without its challenges.

“I’ve already told my boys that we’re no longer the hunter, we’re the hunted,” Darnell said. “Now, on game nights, teams will say they’re playing the state champions. Every coach is going to tell that to their players. We’re going to get everyone’s best shot.”

Darnell said he hopes his team’s win is also able to inspire the Kemper community.

“I’m hoping it shows everybody, it doesn’t matter if you’re in elementary school, I’m hoping it shows everybody in the community what a group of people can do when they work together,” he said. “I hope it shows the community that anything is possible in Kemper County. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you believe in something, you can make it happen.”

If anyone, Darnell knows that best. Even he said he didn’t expect his life to change so quickly.

“It’s been a special two years,” he said. “I’ve been really blessed. God has blessed me, and I give all the glory to Him. I never thought, three years ago when I was praying on an oil rig for one more chance to coach, and three years later, I’m a state championship coach. I give all the credit to my guys. Never give up on your dreams. Anything can happen.”