Christopher Bess, 4, gained traction after a video of him imitating his father—the head coach of a high school basketball team in North Carolina—went viral.
Reginald Bess, Tarboro High School’s basketball coach, currently has two sons on the squad, a 14-year-old freshman player and an assistant coach. Even though he is just four years old, Christopher hopes to continue working as an assistant coach under his father when he grows older.
The four-year-old’s enthusiasm for the squad is evident, according to the pleased father, who told ABC News, “My wife picks him up from my mom’s house. And his first question is, ‘Can we go to practice?'”
Reginald also stated that Christopher is the team’s “little energizer,” who is not afraid to express frustration when he does not like the play he watches, noting, “He shakes his head. He throws down the towel. My wife always asks me, ‘Where does he get these antics from?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know about throwing down the towel and I’ve never done that.'”
The young prodigy also mentioned how much he admired his brother’s and father’s “amazing” abilities. His father also mentioned that he is well-liked by all those associated with the organization, even the rival squad, whom he occasionally assists in coaching in opposition to his father and brother.
Reginald admitted that he had no idea Christopher was shadowing him during games. The father did admit, though, that on occasion, he gets emotional when he rewatches the game tape and sees Christopher glued to his hip, focused on the game, and supporting his brother.
Meanwhile, Christopher reaffirmed that he intended to remain under “my daddy’s” head coaching supervision and that he had no intention of leaving his role as assistant coach.
