Ida B. Wells High School has had a prominent men’s basketball team since its beginning in 1957. Prior to the school’s name change, the “Wilson Trojans” won four state championships over the span of 60 years. Wilson’s track record wasn’t stellar over the next 60 years before changing its name to Ida B. Wells, and the team name to the Guardians. And since then, it still has not improved. There, of course, have been great, stand-out players such as Damon Stoudamire, who went on to play for the Portland Trail Blazers. There is also Jacey Canalin, the ‘23-’24 captain, who has gone on to play at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. So why has a team with a constant and steady amount of players struggled so much?
During the ‘23-’24 season, varsity basketball ended with a record of 8W-16L. The season prior, they finished with a record of 8W-17L, and the year before that, 9W-17L. From these numbers, it is apparent that the team has been in quite a slump, and many might assume the Guardians are a bad team.
Each year the win/loss ratio stayed constant but the coaching staff differed. Although students can gain a variety of skills by having different coaches, the wellbeing of teenagers during the transition is important to consider.
As of May 2022, a quarter of college male athletes expressed that their mental health was affected by their sport according to the NCAA. As of last year, many Guardians players were concerned with how their coach was treating them. Some said they would be “punished” for their mistakes and others said they “felt discouraged at practice.” Leaving the decent season with heavy hearts, the players soon found out the coach would not be returning — very few players were sad about this news. Many questions arise as to who would lead the Guardians in the following season and what kind of emotional pressure would come with the new coach.
A few months after the season ended, a new group of coaches were installed. Most of the coaches were full time staff at Wells.
The current and former varsity coaches both agreed that they would have a different approach than last year when it comes to coaching. Max Trezise and Frank Mathews are both teachers at Wells who have seen the Guardians on and off the court. Both agreed that knowing the players as their students and outside of the court personally connects them to the players and their needs. Prioritizing rest and encouraging taking days are just two of the ways that the coaches are changing the narrative. Mathews believes that for most kids who don’t go on to play college, “this is their lost stop, and they deserve a positive experience without any stress.”
Max Trezise is the head coach of the Guardians as well as a social studies teacher at WellsAlthough Coach Trezise was not a coach last year, he attended many games and said that the school has a “deep love” for basketball. He strongly believes that in previous years the boys were not playing “team ball.” “[They] missed a great opportunity to utilize more team-oriented concepts, [such as sharing the ball on offense],” said Trezise.
The Huston Cougars head coach, for the last 10 years, Kelvin Sampson said, “I don’t always tell the kids what they want to hear, but it’s critical to tell them what they need to hear.” It is important to keep supporting players, it is equally necessary to be unafraid to give constructive criticism.
Cam Hammer, a second-year captain, highlighted how, despite being only a few weeks into the season, he is already seeing a positive change. “It’s nice having support and not being afraid to mess up.”
It is important for the school to show up to games this year. When more people come out, the team plays better off of the school’s energy. For the last couple of years, the basketball games have often been painful to watch. It is safe to say that this year, heading into a season fueled by positivity, the Guardians will walk out of it with a win.
