Simmons High School boys basketball coach Carl Lucas and his son, Carl Jr., are not exactly a spitting image of each other on the basketball court.
The elder Lucas was a powerful forward when he played basketball in his younger days. As a player, Coach Lucas led Simmons High School to their last state championship in 2004. He then went on to play basketball for four years at Mississippi Valley State University, leading the Delta Devils in scoring his senior season which ended with a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Lucas Jr., meanwhile, is a sophomore point guard on the Simmons High School basketball team this year. Unlike his father, he plays mostly outside the paint where he distributes the ball to his teammates.
has gotten stronger and stronger as the season has progressed and is currently averaging 10.1 points a game. The young sophomore said he may never play exactly like his dad but wants to make just as much of an impact on the court.
With the help of his teammates like Zach Nelson (15.7 points per game), Prentavis Madison (14.2 points per game) and Dee Rush (12.3 points per game), Lucas Jr. has helped lead the Blue Devils to a 10-4 record this season. After defeating West Bolivar 58-51 Saturday, the Blue Devils are on 3-game winning streak heading into their matchup Tuesday night against West Tallahatchie.
Coach Lucas said he is proud of how well his son has played.
“I had more dog in me when I played,” Coach Lucas said. “I think he is young and timid and doesn’t know his full potential. But, once he figures that out, he is going to become quite a player.
“My biggest challenge in coaching my son is wanting him to play to the potential that I know that he has. I won’t let him settle for anything less and sometimes that discourages him. It can be difficult to separate being a dad from being a coach. Sometimes I am harder on him than I probably should be.”
For his part, Carl Jr. loves having his father as his coach. He said he dreams of one day playing basketball at the next level, just like his father.
“I could not ask for a better coach,” Carl Jr. said. “Whatever he tells me to do I am going to do to the best of my ability.”
