It’s summer and Simmons High School head basketball coach Carl Lucas takes advantage of the downtime by pitching for his softball team the Blue Ballers.
Once the school year starts, he will get back into getting his classroom organized to teach his students Algebra I and began rebuilding the Blue Devils basketball team as the powerhouse that it was during his playing days a decade and a half ago.
After a couple of years away from coaching the boys basketball team, Lucas will be back coaching the Blue Devils next season.
And, what a time it was for the standout undersized center!
“We went 34-1 and won the state during my senior year back in 2004,” Lucas said. “Coach (George) Willis was a disciplinarian- a hard coach but he was fair. We had plays like myself and Alvin Robinson who was the best player I ever played with because he was so smooth handling and shooting the ball. He did it with so much ease.”
When Lucas played, the gym at Simmons High was packed to capacity. Both the girls’ and boys’ teams played with excellence and showmanship. Lucas was a key piece on the Blue Devils squad and is remembered for his versatility and ability to knock down shots.
But, he said the reputation that he left Simmons with was one that was earned. “I really didn’t consider myself a very athletic player,” he said. “I knew how to get to my spots and get open for shots. I didn’t think I played very well my freshman and sophomore seasons. But, by my junior year, I had learned a lot more and had gotten a lot better.”
Lucas had gotten so much better by the time he finished his senior season that Mississippi Valley State University’s legendary former head coach Lafayette Stribling offered him a scholarship. By this time, Lucas was well-schooled in adjusting his game and becoming a better player. “I played for coach Stribling for my freshman season only,” Lucas said. “There was a lot of transition and adjustment. I was used to playing center in high school, but at only 6’2, I had to change positions to small forward.”
Lucas went on to lead Valley to two conference championships and appearances in the NCAA tournament.
This was an experience that he will never forget.
“We played a first-round game against the UCLA Bruins when they had Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love,” Lucas recalled.
“We saw immediately how much bigger they were and how skilled Kevin Love was. He and the other big guys really hurt us.”
Lucas can comfortably reflect on his basketball journey that has brought him full circle. He has been teaching in the Hollandale School District for 10 years and is positioning himself to be a fully credentialed administrator.
The list of accolades goes on and on for Lucas. He is a state champion, an All-SWAC performer, a local hoops legend and so on. But, he is also making a name for himself as the press box announcing for the Simmons High football team during Friday nights with his open-mic jokes, sing-alongs and blues and R & B playlist.
“They approached me a couple of years ago about being the press box announcer and I said, ‘I’m a basketball guy,’” Lucas recalled. “But I enjoy it and seems like they do too and it’s to promote the cohesiveness of Simmons High.”
