Aaron Nuckles was named Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Middle School Coach of the Year at the annual TABC Clinic Saturday in San Antonio. PHOTO BY CLAY WHITTINGTON Aaron Nuckles was surprised he received the award. His colleagues were not.

While the Lampasas native was in a mild state of shock following a call from Teresa Durham, Texas Association of Basketball Coaches president, informing him he had been named Middle School Coach of the Year, LMS Athletic Director Jim Burks simply saw the call as a formality.

“Aaron works hard every day, and it doesn’t matter what sport it is. This [award] just happens to be for basketball,” Burks said. “I’m not surprised at all. I’m happy for him, and he’s earned it.”

Nuckles was presented a plaque at the annual TABC Clinic Saturday in San Antonio.

“It is nice to be recognized,” Nuckles said. “That’s not why [I coach], but it makes you feel good.

“Coach Burks has a saying: ‘Do what’s best for the kids.’ And when you get down to it, that’s why we do what we do. It is for the kids.”

It is because of that mentality Scott Harrelson, former LHS head basketball coach, nominated Nuckles for the award.

“Aaron is extremely dedicated to the kids and worked extra hard to develop the [basketball] program,” Harrelson said. “He spent time with basketball during football season, and put in extra time coming to practices and games when he wasn’t obligated to.

“He opened the gym, encouraged the players to work out during the summer and made sure they knew of leagues, tournaments and camps they should go to.”

Nominations for the award are accepted from across the state and from all classifications. After compiling the entries, a TABC committee selects and ranks the top 12 with the intention of recognizing one coach from each classification.

Despite working primarily with seventh- and eighth-graders, Nuckles’ efforts are also visible on the high school level.

Lampasas’ freshman basketball team finished the 2009-10 season hovering around the .500 mark. Two years prior, the same basic group of kids went winless as seventh-graders but steadily improved, thanks in part to Nuckles’ dedication to developing the players.

Additionally, by adhering to the basic principles instilled at the high school level by Harrelson, Nuckles eased the transition players faced after completing middle school.

“He helped other coaches understand the philosophy of the program and encouraged them to follow the techniques taught at the varsity level,” Harrelson said.

In the process of preparing players for the next level, the young coach admits his record (23- 39) has suffered through some growing pains.

But there is no doubt, a winning percentage does not define Nuckles.

“I’m a very competitive person, and everyone likes to win, but it’s not all about wins and losses,” the coach said. “It’s about what those kids learn from you on an everyday basis, and it is more than just basketball. It is [about teaching] life lessons and how to be a better person.”

To those who know him, Nuckles’ responses are no surprise.

Neither is the award.