Mike Lewis is a household name among basketball fans in Northeast Mississippi. Lewis has been on the hardwood for 47 years. He has managed programs all throughout the northeastern part of the state. He has coached a total of ten seasons with the Golden Bears - spanning over two separate occasions.
Lewis, a graduate of Delta State and North Alabama, began his career at Alcorn Central after longtime coach Gerald Caveness stepped down. While leading the Golden Bears to a 112-55 record over his five year tenure, Coach Lewis picked up three Tombigbee Conference Championships, one Division 1-3A title, and a golden ball at the MHSAA 3A State Championship. He also won many titles and championships while coaching at Biggersville, Water Valley, Kossuth, Walnut, and Northeast Mississippi Community College.
Lewis made his way back to Alcorn Central five years ago. His overall record for the past five seasons doesn’t show his effectiveness as the program’s director. The success of a program is not measured by wins alone. Former players of Lewis will attest to the fact that his focus isn’t always about being ahead on the scoreboard - it’s about being ahead in life.
Bo Coln is a 1992 graduate of Alcorn Central. Coln joined the team at one of the high-points of men’s basketball at Alcorn Central. Coln, a former basketball coach and current high school administrator who played on the collegiate level, gave us a little reflection as to what playing for Coach Lewis meant to him. “When I made the varsity team, it was my 9th-grade year, Coach Lewis required us to sign a contract, a basketball contract. That contract was all about "Character". Coach held us to a higher standard, a standard that many of us tested, but it was something we all needed, and that standard was nothing short of being our best. That standard would be something I would carry on to my own coaching career.”
Coln also went on to say that Coach Lewis had a good sense of humor on him. He remembers a time where he and some of his teammates got some ‘extra’ conditioning. He said, “A few of the players decided one night that we would roll his yard. We showed up at his house and rolled the yard, he saw us while it happened. The next practice, we did some "extra" conditioning!”
Although Coach Lewis departed form Alcorn Central in the early 90’s, he found his way back in 2015. Times may have changed, but Lewis’ style had not. John Rillee Williams will be walking across the stage in a few weeks as a 2020 graduate of Alcorn Central. Golden Bear basketball fans have loved watching JR play these past four seasons. He had a few comments about his appreciation for Coach Lewis. “Coach Lewis’ coaching style was one that I had never experienced before high school. He taught me quickly how to grow up, toughen my mind, and work hard. He helped me gain confidence, know that I could beat anyone I came up against and to respect all and fear none.”
The legacy of Coach Lewis will always be engraved in Golden Bear basketball history. Athletic Director Jarrad Robinson said, “Mike Lewis has been a great program administrator. He has made my job easy. We hate to see him go.” Coach Lewis will be missed at Alcorn Central, but we wish him the best in his well deserved retirement.
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