Burchett takes the helm of the Tiger Development Academy

As it enters its second year of operation, the Houston School District’s Tiger Development Academy has a new director: Dakota Burchett.

Burchett, 22, is a 2020 graduate of Houston High School. He went on to attend Evangel University for three years and Missouri State University for a semester, and is now working on earning a degree in elementary education through online courses with Western Governors University.

Launched in the fall of 2023, the TDA program is designed to enhance the development of athletes in grades 3 through 6 and give them exposure to systems used at the high school level.

“To me, it’s an extension of the high school program,” Burchett said, “similarly to the way middle school is.”

Burchett is also a physical education instructor and assistant coach for the HHS football team. He became TDA director earlier this summer, replacing the program’s founder, Jeff Richardson, who is now employed by the Mountain Grove School District as high school baseball head coach, middle school boys basketball assistant coach and middle school RISE instructor (Restore, Inspire, Sustain, Educate).

Sports the TDA is involved with include basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball. Soccer and flag football in the age group are still administered by the City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department and its director, Robbie Mortensen (who is also a member of the HHS Class of 2020).

The city and the school district don’t consider the situation a “split,” but rather a partnership.

“It allows us to pool resources,” Burchett said. “Resources are limited with the district and with parks-and-rec, so now there’s more than one organization involved so nobody has to carry the whole load. I’m very grateful that Robbie is the parks-and-rec director because we’ve been close friends for as long as I can remember and working with him is going to be a blessing for sure.”

“Dakota has been around the parks program for over seven years now,” Mortensen said, “and he knows a lot of the ins-and-outs of running a successful youth program. Dakota and I grew up together; I know how much drive and ambition he has and I’m very excited to see what the new face of the TDA can do and I’ll assist him in any way I can.”

Burchett will also receive assistance from volunteers, and will maintain close ties with high school coaches, who will be around the youngsters as often as possible.

“I think there’s a general understanding that I consider the TDA an extension of their programs,” Burchett said, “so whatever they want done at the high school level will trickle down so third-graders are doing things similar to what seniors are doing.”

Burchett’s goal is to establish a unified approach so young athletes can focus on more detailed aspects of a given sport as they age, rather than more or less starting over every time they move up a level.

“That way, they don’t have to relearn something every year,” he said. “If they’re coached the same way as they go along, they’ll be a lot farther along when they reach the high school level, and so will our programs.

“And really, you never like to lose, but winning is far more important when you’re a sophomore in high school than when you’re a third-grader. There’s no district championship in rec league basketball, and if we can – in a sense – sacrifice fourth-grade victories for long-term development, that’s massive in my mind.”

Richardson is a member of the city’s Parks Board and will still be around the TDA to some extent.

“He’s been a mentor of mine for a long time and he left me a lot to go by,” Burchett said. “And he’ll still be able to help me out quite a bit throughout the process.”

The initial stages of the TDA were in baseball.

“When Jeff first came to me and asked me to help him start this with the baseball program, we both agreed that neighboring towns were exceeding us in athletics,” Mortensen said. “We looked at what they were doing compared to us and it was a no-brainer that youth development was much better all around us. We realized we were seriously lacking in taking time to develop our youth, instead of just practicing with them and sending them on to play in games.

“My vision with this program was to give a structure to help coaches get more involved with our youth. Since this started, we have had many high school coaches and students put on clinics and training sessions. For programs to be successful for many years to come, you have to move backward and start from the ground up. Many people will notice a big difference when kids that have been in TDA programs for the better part of their lives are successful, more disciplined and overall more prepared to get out in the real world.

“To me, the biggest benefit of this program is the opportunity we’re giving kids for athletic scholarships who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend college.”

Mortensen feels like the TDA’s first year went pretty well.

“There were a lot of hiccups,” he said, “but you can’t expect not to have hiccups in a program this size in the first year. I’ve had a lot of mixed feedback on the differences in TDA and Parks programs, and I ask that the community try to be patient in this process and see how great this program really can be.”

For more information about the TDA (including volunteering or how and where to sign up), email Burchett at daburchett@houston.k12.mo.us .

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m stoked to see where this can go and what it can do, and I feel like if it reaches its potential, it will be a great asset to the district and the community.”

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