DAYTONA BEACH, FLA -- From the moment a practice begins at Moore Gymnasium at Bethune Cookman, Reggie Theus does not stop. Stop what? Coaching, educating, conversing, etc. He's doing anything and everything to get his guys to play one way. 

“It’s hard to teach toughness. I remember a great coach once said there’s one thing I don’t ever want to have to coach and that’s effort and toughness because it’s hard.”

Theus has made the game look easy. A former 1st-round pick in the 1978 NBA draft, he's enjoyed a long, successful career in the sport. Over 14 seasons, Theus played for five different teams while twice earning all-star selections. He was a member of the inaugural 1989-90 Orlando Magic team. 

Since his retirement from playing, Theus has enjoyed stellar success in the coaching ranks. 

“I’ve found out from all the things I’ve done I’m happiest when I’m teaching the game. As a player I never thought I’d be this way but the best part is I’ve grown into this person.”

To him, it's always been bigger than basketball. Now in his second season at Bethune Cookman as head basketball coach and director of athletics, the game stretches beyond the hardwood. 

“I always knew there was something more," Theus said. "There was always something else I was supposed to do.”

He found inspiration from the woman who founded the university; Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. 

“When you come here, I didn’t really know a lot about her and her legacy, but when you get here and you realize the need and what these kids deserve to have somebody champion them.”

That goes beyond titles and trophies. It's his duty to make the lives and experiences on campus better for everyone. That starts with more funding and better resources. 

“This is a school that is a private HBCU that is truly poor in a sense. I’ve lost 10 players that were way above this level because I can’t compete with the facilities of the other schools.”

Whether it's a practice, hopping around from meeting to meeting or staying ahead of the curve from his office, Reggie Theus is here to change the game in more ways than one. 

He wants to lead the Wildcats to their first ever NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. As a university, he wants to boost the BCU brand. 

There's only one way to do that and it's what he knows best.  

“The one thing that’s never changed no matter how you turn the game is effort, hard work and toughness.”