Lely High School coach offers life lessons from the court

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- Putting mom above everything else. That’s the lesson Lely High School’s basketball coach is teaching his players.

“Our program, our family, they’re gonna have to learn to respect and love each other for us to be successful.”

Coach Fritz Jacques says they need to score big at home if they want to succeed on the court.

“I have the boys surprise their mom, and tell them they love their mother, and hug her.”

Jacques said he has them send a photo or video to prove the act of kindness.

“I’ll have them do little things around the house to help their mom without the mom knowing that it’s coming from me.”

He said, “some mom’s might catch on, but at the end of the day, I think they appreciate it.”

“For him to just step up and start doing things, I mean it’s amazing,” said Joni Mottola. Her son Dominique is on the team.

She tells WINK News she was shocked when he all of a sudden started with a few simple gestures.

“When I got a hug, I cried, and I was like ‘what is happening to my son?’ But you know the thing that made me most proud was to see how happy he was to do it.”

Junior Matthew Estrada said what coach has instilled in them really pays off.

“Honestly it’s great, you know I think everyone should be doing that cause without them, pretty much this whole program wouldn’t be possible.”