At Random: Will Lewis

By Malynda Fulton

February 24, 2008 10:57 pm

— Reporter’s note: An educator, loyal husband, athlete, church man and fraternity boy: These are all characteristics of the quite versatile Wilfred Le’nard “Will” Lewis. I’ve met thousands of people in my 22 years of existence and I can only describe Will as the epitome of a decent, strong black man. I heard about Will long before I met him, since his wife, Jessica, is in my sorority’s graduate chapter. Many stories were told about how he has helped transform Thomas County Central High School’s boys basketball team in only two years. So when I finally met him two weeks ago, I felt that it was the perfect opportunity to hear the story from the “horse’s mouth.” I met with Will at his Valdosta home a few days ago and we conversed about things that ranged from sports and education to social issues in the South. Today, meet Will Lewis.

When asked whether he had children or planned to have any in the near future, Will quickly replied, “I don’t have any children, but I would like to have some one day. However, my wife and I are just building our foundation right now and working on ourselves.”
After hearing this, Will’s wife interrupted the interview, exclaiming that the couple did already have one daughter while she pointed to 18 month-old Pepper Lewis. Through glass doors in the kitchen, Little Pepper could be seen on the patio running back and forth around a backyard pool, often pausing to look inside the house and whine. Pepper is the couple’s Shih Tzu.
After recognizing Pepper as part of the Lewis family, the wife agreed that it will be a while before the couple decides to have any human children. She further agreed that they are focused on creating a sturdy foundation. From the looks of things, the two are off to a good start, considering they already own their first home.
A Donalsonville native and the son of Blanche and Winford Lewis, Wilfred Le’nard Lewis came to Valdosta in 1998 as a freshman at Valdosta State University. During his tenure, he was inducted into the Lambda Phi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a popular historically black fraternity on campus. Will also stayed in touch with his passion, basketball.
“I have always been athletic and I played almost every sport in high school,” Will said. “But I love basketball. I attended Seminole County High School and played varsity ball. We were the state runner-ups my junior year and we became the state champions my senior year.”
Though Will did not play basketball in college, he became an assistant to the VSU Blazers basketball team in his sophomore year and maintained that position until he graduated.
“I did everything the team members did except play and practice.”
Will graduated with his first
bachelor’s degree in marketing and
management in 2003. He decided to re-enroll a year later to obtain a degree in business education.
Although furthering his education was a factor in Will’s choice to remain in Valdosta longer, he met a woman in 2003 who also helped to influence his decision. Will began to date Valdosta native Jessica Hunt, the daughter of Clifton and Linda Hunt, during his senior year. Jessica was also a student at VSU at the time and she, too, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in sociology.
Will received his second bachelor’s degree in 2006 and then began his career search.
“At that time I was working at Wal-Mart,” Will said. “I also worked with Jessica’s dad at his business, Hunt’s Home Improvement and Lawn Care. How I got hired as a teacher ... it was a memorable process.”
Will recalled applying online for a business instructor’s position at Thomas County Central High School. Within an hour, he was called for an interview to fill a math instructor’s position.
“I expected the interview to be a few days away, but the administrator asked me to come in the same day.”
When Will arrived, he was placed in a room and greeted by the assistant principals and surprisingly, his old high school coach’s wife.
“The interview process was interesting,” Will said. “Within the span of four hours, I had applied for and gotten a job.”
This is Will’s third school year as a math teacher and this fall, Will is to begin teaching business education.
Will also desired to share his love for basketball with his students, which influenced his decision to take a position as head coach of the ninth grade boys basketball team. He is an assistant coach for the varsity basketball team, the Jackets, where his high school basketball coach, Reginald Knight, serves as head coach.
Will feels that the longtime chemistry he already shared with Knight from the years Knight coached Will’s high school team, as well as the chemistry developed with the other assistant coach, Chad Ward, has helped the trio coach the basketball team to victories that were not seen before at the high school.
“The first year I coached there, the team was 1-19. Last year, the team was 9-15. This year, we are 23-5. We recently set the school record in wins.”
Will added that this year’s team is the first in the school’s history to win regional as a 4A division team. The Jackets are now in the sweet sixteen, and with only sixteen teams left in the region, the Jackets will be the first to host in the state playoffs. The first game is tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
“It is amazing that for decades, the Jackets have just been a mediocre team and now they are a record-setting team. I feel like I was the third piece to a great puzzle.”
Will teaches his players to work hard and look at each other as family members. The coaches share the motto, “One heart, one mind, one spirit, one team.”
The boys basketball team has not always received the support from the Thomasville community the coaches feel it deserves. However, they hope that the Jacket’s continuous success will encourage Thomasville citizens and media to back the team more in the future.
“This is a great time for the players and the community needs to be a part of it.”
Will not only works with basketball players to help enhance their on-the-court skills, he also strives to help players maximize their potential. He recently began a sports service group, Paradigm Athletic Services (paradigmathleticservices.com), which features an exposure camp for unsigned high school seniors.
“I would love to help players get scholarships to help them pay for college.”
Paradigm Athletic Services is a partnership between Will and Ernest Scott, a former VSU basketball Blazer who now plays for the Idaho Stampede in the National Basketball Developmental League.
Aside from playing and coaching basketball, Will can also be found participating in various church programs. Will is a member of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Center of Lake Park, pastored by Regionald Benjamin. He and Jessica lead a youth group at the church called Keeping it Real, which educates teens and pre-teens on Christian values.
“We want to be good role models for youth and represent an ideal, young Christian couple,” Will said. His wife followed up by asserting that the couple would not be part of the 50 percent divorce statistic.
Along with having a house built within the next two years, they also want to expand their educations. Will plans to attend graduate school for a master’s degree in education leadership and his wife, a special education teacher at Quitman Elementary School, desires a master’s degree in special education.
In the next five years, Will hopes to be coaching college ball, be in a leadership position in education or be a sports agent. Whatever the case may be, Will vows to always work hard to get what he desires and never be consumed by failure.
“I want to stand out. I want people to look at me and say, ‘He’s different.’ ”

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