Lewisville coach leads Lions against alma mater in 1A state title game

They say you can't go home again.

That may or may not be true, but in the case of Lewisville head basketball coach Michael McCray, home is coming to him. McCray graduated from Hemingway High School in 2000 after winning back-to-back state championships as a member of the Tigers' basketball squad.

Friday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, he will lead his second-ranked pride of Lewisville Lions into the 1A boys’ basketball state final against his top-ranked alma mater. Hemingway (21-5) has won five state titles and made it to the championship last year, falling short against Calhoun County in the final. Lewisville (19-6) has won two, its most recent coming in 2013 under Larry Davis.

McCray moved to this area 12 years ago to take a job at the sheriff's office in Mecklenburg County. He is now in his third year as head man at Lewisville and will be facing friend and former assistant coach Patrick Lewis, who is calling the shots on the sideline for the Tigers.

“He's a really good X's and O's guy,” McCray said. “He decided he wanted to go back home and see if he could get an opportunity there. There's nothing better than coaching at your alma mater. In the near future, he's probably going to be the head coach there.”

Hemingway's head coach was actually let go right before the start of the season, and Greg Lawson, who is also the athletic director and head football coach, has served as the interim coach. But during games, Lewis is the one actually roaming the sideline. Lewis has already tasted the sweetest victory as well, winning a state title as a player at Hemingway in 2003. McCray says the two are great friends who keep in touch regularly, and that won't change, regardless of the outcome Friday evening.

“He's one of the first ones I called (at Lewisville),” McCray said. “Growing up, I was a little older than him so I kind of took him under my wing and we grew together as brothers.”

Push the pace

It’s no surprise that Lewisville and Hemingway played similarly fast-paced styles. Each uses 12 or 13 players each game and pushes the pace as often as possible. The familiarity with each other and their strengths and weaknesses can be helpful but not as much as one might think. That pendulum swings both ways.

“It helps and it hurts,” McCray said. "Because at the same time, kids have improved. Their games aren't the same. You can say 'I remember him, he played on my team. He wasn't so good.' But now you look today and that's not the same kid that I played with. But overall these kids have a good feel for each other as far as mentality, attitude, and mindset.”

Two other friends that know each other really well are seniors for the Lions. Mike Hill and Trey Keels are multi-sport standouts that also play football and baseball together.

"It's tough because there's not a lot of time to practice before we start playing games," Keels said. "Especially in basketball. After the football season ended, we had a game the next day. But I think playing other sports together shows you how close you are."

Hill, who made All-State in 1A football and basketball, caught passes in the fall from Keels, the quarterback. That translated to the basketball court where Keels often looks down-court for Hill after rebounds.

“We just kind of had a chemistry and when it came to basketball I would just see him open and throw it,” Keels said earlier this week. “We do it in practice a lot and the second team gets mad.”

Held accountable

The head coach is responsible for setting the standard, and he's not easy on them. But his players know that his first priority is the young men, and not results on the hardwood.

“Coach McCray holds all of us accountable,” Hill said. “Anything we need, he's always there. He doesn't just care about basketball. He cares about us and our personal life. Our practices are harder than the games. We know we're going to face adversity, but we've already faced adversity in the playoffs and we know how to fight back.”

To that point, the Lions came back from double digits twice in their third-round win over Williston-Elko, including trailing 21-6 in the first period and by 10 in the second half.

Friday's final will be played in a much larger venue than what the players normally play in. Hemingway played in the Colonial Center last year, but the Lions' Upper State title game was played at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, so Hill said they know what it's like to shoot without a wall behind the goal now. Keels also said he doesn't think it'll be too different because they've already shown they can play in a bigger gym.

Running the team a certain way

One reason the Lions did not get to play in such a large venue last year, when they lost in the first round of the playoffs, is because they were missing one important piece to their team. According to the head coach, they needed a true point guard. They found that in a freshman, Demetric Hardin, who had also played AAU ball for McCray.

“As a coach, you want your team ran a certain way,” McCray said. “And he's one of the kids that played for me in AAU early on, when he was a seventh-grader. I think that helped him a lot because he got acclimated to my expectations. He's one of those kids that sees things five minutes before they happen.”

Hardin may be a ninth-grader, but the situation is not too big for him.

“He stays very poised for a freshman,” McCray said. “I started trusting him early on and he just took the team and ran with it. He's not afraid to get in the older guys' faces when they're not doing their job, and I think that's big for a freshman. Most freshmen are intimidated by upperclassmen, but that's not his character at all. He is fearless. He has the guts of a burglar.”

Hardin and his teammates will need to be just as fearless Friday. If they are, McCray and his senior leaders could bring another state championship trophy back home with them. Home to Richburg.

This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Lewisville coach leads Lions against alma mater in 1A state title game."