Lower Richland names court after school’s legendary girls basketball coach

When Debbie Wardlaw walked to center court at the Diamond Mine, it was a life coming full circle.

The Lower Richland graduate, who returned to her alma mater and guided them to seven state championships in a legendary 24-year coaching career, stood with her son Brandon and daughter Morgan as she addressed the crowd Wednesday after the school dedicated the court to her.

Lower Richland’s gym floor will now be called Deborah (Stroman) Wardlaw Court.

“Never in a million years did I think this would happen,” Wardlaw said after the mid-court ceremony. “I’m just really proud and thankful for the opportunity.”

The reason for the honor is very apparent.

Wardlaw amassed a 487-127 record in that span that included seven state championships during her time in Hopkins. Her best run came from 2006-2009 when the Diamonds won four straight state championships and compiled a 102-6 record over that span. She also won state titles in 1994, 1997 and 2013.

The Diamonds made the playoffs in 23 of Wardlaw’s 24 seasons at the helm and won at least one postseason game in 20 of those 24 years. Wardlaw never had a losing record and went undefeated three times in her career.

After she hung up the whistle in 2016, Wardlaw moved into the athletics director role at Lower Richland. At the time of her hiring as the Lower Richland AD, she was just the 10th female athletics director in the state.

Warldaw retired at the end of the school year in 2019 before becoming the athletic director at Columbia College, where she attended college, that same year.

Daughter Morgan Stroman played on her mom’s teams that won four straight titles. She played collegiately at Miami and had a very successful pro career overseas before coming back home and following in her mom’s footsteps. Stroman is in her first season as Diamonds girls basketball coach.

“This is a great honor,” Morgan said. “I’m just grateful to have such a legend to be my mother. She inspired me to do so many things. Now she is showing me the ropes coaching now. Her support means everything and to see that happen tonight is such a blessing.”

Wardlaw was ecstatic to be able to share this honor with her family and a community that embraced her from the time she was a standout volleyball player at Lower Richland.

“I’m a Lower Richland graduate. She’s a Lower Richland graduate. I came back to Lower Richland, and she’s back here at Lower Richland,” Wardlaw said. “I’m very proud of her. She didn’t really step into my shoes because she has her own shoes. I just led a path up the mountain, and she chose to follow that path.”

Wardlaw is a member of the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association and the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. She also was selected as a member of the Columbia College Hall of Fame.

While the impact on the court is unquestioned, the influence she provided on and off the court is undeniable. Several former players, students and assistant coaches were on hand to witness the naming of the court. Jim Childers, who won state championships in the late 1980s as the boys coach at Lower Richland, was in attendance as well.

But all those accolades paled in comparison to the honor Wednesday night.

“This is probably one of the most special things that I’ve ever had given to me,” Wardlaw said. “Being recognized by Richland School District One, Lower Richland High School, the community, this is what it’s all about. When it’s all said and done, all the coaching accolades, this is by far the best.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 11:05 PM.