Shawn Gibbs knew he had his work cut out for him at North Carolina A&T.
But the first-year Aggies coach didn’t expect the need to execute a complete culture overhaul.
In the aftermath of the Aggies’ latest loss to Maine, Gibbs delivered an impassioned message about the importance of belief, resilience, and the dangers of complacency.
“I knew when I took this job that it was going to be a tremendous challenge,” Gibbs said. “But I really didn’t understand how bad it was. The Maine game confirmed something for me—it confirmed how powerful belief truly is.”
Gibbs, who was an assistant during the program’s championship glory years in the MEAC, described how the current group — due to all the losses it has suffered in recent years — lacked the belief they could win.
NC A&T currently sits at 1-4 overall and has lost its last two games.
“I don’t believe we’ve gone into any game truly believing that we were going to win,” he admitted. “In some games, we were able to hang around, and then we started believing. But that’s not the same as stepping on the field already knowing that we can win.”
Gibbs emphasized that winning comes only through relentless preparation and mental toughness, traits he insists must form the foundation of a successful program.
“Winning is hard. It’s hard to do, but it’s what true competitors love about it,” he said. “The work that’s required to win is what drives successful people, successful companies, successful programs.”
He acknowledged his own distaste for defeat, describing losses as lasting scars that fuel his determination.
“I hate losing way more than I enjoy winning,” he said. “After a win, I might enjoy it for a couple of hours, and then it’s on to the next task. But losses stay with me forever. I use them as motivation so I don’t have to feel that disgusting feeling again.”
Gibbs most pointed remarks, however, were aimed at the culture he inherited. The coach said too many within the program have grown tolerant of losing, making excuses instead of demanding results.
“There are too many people in our program who have developed a tolerance for losing. I have zero tolerance for it,” he declared. “Too many want to talk about what we don’t have, what we should have, how things used to be. That mindset doesn’t win games.”