You're going to be in here, you're going to play basketball.

(quirky music) (shoes squeaking) (upbeat music) Consistency, its definition, conformity in the application of something, (buzzer sounds) typically that in which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy or fairness.

But there is another definition for consistency.

The way in which a substance holds together, or maybe who holds it together.

At Marked Tree High School, there is no doubt whom in fact does just that.

- There's a big deal being made about female coaches or female officials doing men's games and people talk about how trendsetting that is.

But that's been happening in Marked Tree since the late nineties when they made her head coach of a boys program.

I am Barbara Wilburn-Covington.

I am the head basketball coach for junior and senior high boys basketball here in Marked Tree.

Been here 33 years.

Honestly I never knew where Marked Tree, Arkansas, was until someone hired me to come to Marked Tree.

The kids are great.

The community is great.

It is just a great small town.

- So I actually met Coach Wilburn when I was in junior high, and I was actually out here on this court shooting, and she walked up and she started giving me some pointers.

And it was from that moment that, like, I've always looked up to her.

- Coach Wilburn, she wants the best for us.

Just going out there and playing with her on our side.

It just motivates us even more.

- Outside of the school walls, she's a huge figure in our community.

Everybody knows Coach Wilburn.

Everybody has heard the stories, whether they're true or not.

- My very first experience with basketball, I can remember, and I think I was in a third grade, third or fourth grade, and I just intrigued that they are running and jumping and putting a ball in that little cylinder.

So I'm just sitting there and all of a sudden I could hear like somebody coming up the steps.

The coach says, If you're going to be in here, you going to play basketball.

So I just been intrigued ever since.

- Coach Wilburn has a level of intensity that she brings to this gym and to this community and a level of expectation.

The beautiful thing about that is that our kids, they embrace that intensity.

- She taught me how to play in like bigger schools, like telling us how we all players.

Just cause they're bigger schools doesn't mean a small town school can't come in.

- My philosophy, I think it's just simple.

As simple as being, you know, you got to play defense to win and just have respect.

- And that intensity has served some of those young men well.

There's tons of things that they've taken away from Barbara Wilburn, her work ethic, her desire to excel, the way she carries herself.

- What really kinda tugs at my heart is when we go places and people walk up and say, You got the most respectable kids I've ever seen on a on a basketball court.

I mean, that to me, that's that's just the best.

That's just the best.