State-championship winning coach returning to lead Midlands basketball program
.jpg "Willie Thomas will be the new coach at White Knoll.")
White Knoll High School is getting a big name and championship-winning coach to fill its boys basketball vacancy.
Five-time state-title winning coach Willie Thomas was approved as the Timberwolves’ new coach during Tuesday’s Lexington 1 school board meeting. Thomas replaces Darrick Cureton, who led the program the last two seasons.
This will be Thomas’ seventh career head coaching job. He’s most recently been the head coach at Orangeburg-Wilkinson since the 2017-18 season. The Bruins advanced to the Class 3A state championship game in 2022 and made it to the Lower State title game in 2021 and this season.
But Thomas said the challenge of turning around another program is what drew him to the White Knoll job.
“To have an opportunity to make an impact on a kid’s life and hopefully get them to the point where they understand what it is to work hard, be disciplined, work together as a group and go forward for the rest of their lives,” Thomas told The State. “I don’t know if I was the right fit for Orangeburg. Most of times when I take jobs, I want to make an impact on not just kids who play basketball, but all over the school.
“I felt like I had an opportunity to take another job and see if I can’t be a difference.”
Thomas had his first meeting with the players on Wednesday and outlined his goals and expectations for the program.
Thomas has won more than 600 games in his career with other stops at Bowman High, Southside, Holly Hill-Roberts, Lake City, Lower Richland and Swansea. He won pair of Class A titles at Bowman High in 1989 and 1991 and then three Class 3A championships at Holly Hill-Roberts in 1996-1997 and 1999.
Thomas also led Lake City to the 2010 state championship game. His teams have made nine other state semifinal appearances.
Thomas was inducted into the S.C. Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2022 and will be enshrined in the S.C. Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in August.
White Knoll is coming off an 8-19 season and has won just 11 games in the past two seasons combined. The school’s’ last playoff appearance came under Devin Liferidge in 2020 when they went 17-11 overall.
The Timberwolves have lost some key players to transfers the last couple years with Tray Maddox leaving to attend Gray Collegiate and Kaleb Evans going to Lexington. Both would have been key pieces if they had stayed.
“A school that size (of White Knoll) there has to be 10-12 guys that could play a little basketball or good athletes that you can mold into a program,” Thomas said. “Also, we got to be able to keep the kids at White Knoll. I know kids that have left and that were good players. So, we got to keep them and show them they have chance here to have a good program if they stay together.
“... We got to start getting them to believe that they could be good at White Knoll.”
Swansea hires Britt
Manning’s Lamont Britt has been named the new boys basketball coach at Swansea High, the school announced Wednesday.
Britt replaces Chris Register, who left to take a position at River Bluff. The Tigers went 2-20 this year.
Britt was the Region 7-3A Coach of the Year after leading the Monarchs to region championship and 20-6 record.
“Coaching young students to do their best has been a cornerstone of my development as a coach but even more as a teacher. Strategies that are used in effective classrooms have always been implemented by effective coaches,” Britt said. “I hope to always teach through basketball experiences that anyone can become whatever their heart desires, if they are willing to work hard toward achieving their goals.”
Midlands high school basketball openings
Boys Basketball
School — Former Coach — New Coach
Heathwood Hall — Jeff Whalen — TBA
Pelion — David Smith — TBA
Swansea — Chris Register — Lamont Britt
White Knoll — Darrick Cureton — Willie Thomas
Girls Basketball
Blythewood — Steve Inabinet — Emily McElveen
Dutch Fork — Faye Norris — TBA
Northside Christian — Kristen Fortenberry — Jordan Leath
This story was originally published April 25, 2023 at 6:05 PM.
