'It was very weird': An emotional homecoming for this former Augusta-area basketball coach
When the final buzzer sounded at Cross Creek on Monday, Jeff Williams had mixed feelings.
“It was very weird,” he said.
The former Lakeside basketball coach led his current team, New Hampstead, to a 72-68 victory over the Panthers at the Battle of the Borders MLK Invitational Classic. It was the first time he’d faced his former program since accepting his current position with the Phoenix following the 2020 season.
Williams led the Panthers to the GHSA 6A state playoffs in each of his four seasons at the helm, leaving with a 68-41 record. The matchup came about as a last-minute surprise, as New Hampstead was originally scheduled to face Evans.
“They had a conflict with the schedule and when they sent me the new schedule, I said, ‘Man, I don’t know if I’m ready to play Lakeside.’ Those kids were eighth graders about to come to me. I knew all of those kids that were on the floor tonight personally,” he said. “Plus, I have a lot of close friends at Lakeside, so it didn’t feel good when the clock hit zeroes and beating them. I know I played a major part in helping that team grow into what they are now.”
Despite the mixed emotions, there were plenty of hugs to go around the gym before and after the game. For most, the joy of seeing him on the floor had little to do with basketball.
Jeff Williams’ road to recovery
Last February, Williams suffered a stroke in addition to a bout with COVID-19. After grinding through both physical and mental hurdles, he’s back on the bench leading the Phoenix this season.
“I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t walk, could barely talk and I couldn’t use my right arm. I was blessed that I didn’t get any type of paralysis, but I had every other effect,” he said. “It was a very long, humbling haul. My wife and kids have been doing everything for me. Even when I got cleared, they had me doing wall chairs and running ladders and I’m like, ‘I ask the kids to do these all the time and I can’t do it. It’s hard.’”
His players have responded in all the right ways. In addition to Monday’s win over Lakeside, Williams and company logged the first win over Burke County in program history Friday evening and are undefeated in Region 3-AAAA play. The Phoenix has also matched its win total from a year ago.
“Once I got back to work, I had to tell them it’s going to take coach a while. I couldn’t yell, I couldn’t get up and do too much, but they embraced it and helped me so much,” he said. “I think that my process has helped the team come together and play as a unit.”
Williams’ No. 1 reason for returning
For many, a stroke might have been a sign to walk away from the stresses of coaching. For Williams, however, there was something bigger at play: his son, AJ.
AJ is a standout point guard and a highly touted prospect for the Class of 2027 and the chance to play for his father is the reason they’re sharing a court today.
“I had talks with God and I’ve always been that dad that was hands off and never wanted to coach him until it was time to coach him,” he said. “He always stressed to me how important it was to play for me and in that moment, I felt like, ‘Man, I’ve gotten all the way here and now I’m not going to be able to coach him.’ That was, besides fighting to stay alive for my family, I wanted to coach him and those other young guys.”
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Former Lakeside basketball coach Jeff Williams returns to Augusta
