Kurtis Townsend

College: University of Kansas Position: Men's Assistant Coach Coaching experience: 16 years Hometown: San Jose, Calif. Alma Mater: Western Kentucy '82 Trivia: Prior to helping guide the Jayhawks to the 2008 national championship, Townsend served as an assistant at California, Eastern Kentucky, Michigan and Southern California.

(To read Sharing the Victory's full feature on Townsend, click here.)

On his favorite Scripture that deals with leadership…
"Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) – 'Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.'

"I think that describes how important leadership is, not only with my own kids, but also with the kids I come in contact with either through recruiting, coaching or competing against them. It is important to train these kids because of the way the culture is. There is so much negative out there. And it is really important that they have people around them who see things another way and can open their eyes to a different way of life than what they see within their generation."

On showing leadership in coaching…
"Because of the influence I have on young people, I try to be a model with my actions every day. I try to listen and coach with integrity and let people know what I expect from them. And when people know you care about them as a person, and you listen to them, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say.

"As a leader, I try to put other people ahead of myself and be more of a servant — serving my players the best way I can, whether it is listening or helping them deal with their problems. But ultimately, leadership is showing them integrity. I am going to tell them the right thing to do, even if it hurts. I want them to know how important integrity is, and that it is the biggest thing in leadership. And I honestly believe that is why God has put me in this situation: To be on a platform where people listen. And so, I just want to make sure I send the right message."