Winning isn’t a new concept for Carver High School coach Stefan Lawrence. A former high school and collegiate athlete, he has experienced his share of wins. Nothing in his past, however, prepared Lawrence for winning the title of 2016 Muscogee County Teacher of the Year last May. So many things in Lawrence’s life all added up to bring the Carver JV basketball coach to that moment.
The 29-year-old English teacher played basketball and ran track at Hardaway High School. When Northside High School opened in 2002, Lawrence’s father was coaching high school basketball in another county. Two years later, Kenneth Lawrence got the job of head coach for Northside’s first varsity basketball team. His son moved over to NHS to play for him.
When he graduated from Northside, Stefan Lawrence was good enough as a student athlete to play the game for the Columbus State University Cougars and Coach Herbert Green. It was there Lawrence’s plans for the future developed.
“Coach Green had a rule that you had to declare a major to play on his team. Because I was smart, I thought I wanted to go for the money job. I saw this ad for a pharmacist making $55 an hour and I said ‘I can do that.’ So, I decided I would go for pre-pharm,” laughs Lawrence.
All went well Lawrence said until he “hit organic chem” and he realized he wasn’t going to make it as a pharmacist. Dr. James Brewbaker, a professor at CSU, talked with Lawrence about changing his degree when he noticed how well Lawrence taught kids at a basketball camp. Brewbaker told the college athlete only one to two percent of the country’s teachers are black men. He felt Lawrence had the ability to be an educator who could make a difference.
Lawrence changed his degree and continued to play basketball. Both Herbert Green and James Brewbaker are now deceased. Their interest in Lawrence on and off the court was directly responsible for what he does today.
Ever since he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2009, Lawrence has taught at Carver High School. He earned his master’s in 2012 and is currently in the doctorate program of The University of Georgia. At Carver, Lawrence is the school coordinator for Advance Placement and the school was named one of five AP Champions in the state of Georgia last school year. From the 2013-14 school year to the 2014-15 school year, Carver more than doubled the Pre-AP and AP classes which allow high school students to earn credits for college. The high school has more students taking the classes and more teachers certified to teach the classes than ever before.
Lawrence is passionate about teaching young people in the classroom and his passion also extends to the basketball court. He is assistant coach for the varsity basketball team, head coach for the school’s JV and freshman teams and also coordinates the local 10 team Freshman Basketball League. His theory of developing both students and athletes into being the best they can be involves starting early and having expectations of success.
“Freshmen are coming in from programs where they may be great athletes in their 8th grade program but high school is where they need to get development. Maybe they aren’t ready yet and need to be brought along. It’s a time to help them realize potential and have coaches see what their youngest athletes can do,” he says.
The ideals and leadership Lawrence brings to his life’s work is a result of the influence of his parents. He credits his mother, a physical therapist, for instilling in him the desire to learn and who was also the person who set the academic standard for his sister and him.
Lawrence’s father has always been a guiding force and mentor. When the younger Lawrence played basketball at Northside under the coaching of his dad, it was tough but also one of the best times of their lives.
“I was a little harder on him and he knew it. We were the first team to play varsity for Northside but it was great that I got to share it with him. I would always tell him to use the game but don’t let it use you,” says Kenneth Lawrence, who played basketball and ran track at Jordan High School.
Both men laugh about the difficulty of keeping the roles of coach/player separate from father/son back in the day. Lawrence’s father says they tried not to take it home with them and if they did, his wife was pretty quick to step in and keep them on the right track.
The Patriots’ varsity team wound up being third in what Lawrence calls a “lethal region” full of spectacular talent. No one expected the Northside team to do well but Lawrence, a point guard, gives his dad credit for that success and for developing him as basketball athlete and a man.
“My father is an outstanding leader of men. He invested in me as a son and as a player. My favorite passage of scripture is Proverbs 22: 1 which says ‘A good name is to be more desired than great riches.’ My dad always said he had given me a good name and I needed to protect it,” says Lawrence.
Northside’s head basketball coach is still developing players into men after 22 years of coaching and teaching. He says he hangs out in the hallways of school to listen to students and is aware of what is going on through their conversations. Students are encouraged to seek him out as a listening ear. He also holds “rap sessions” with his athletes to give them a forum to voice concerns and talk about issues that affect them.
Both of the Lawrence men believe in giving young people opportunities to excel. Sometimes it is hard to see potential in teenagers because it is overshadowed by environment and backgrounds but the two coaches, one generation separating them, have a competitive drive that doesn’t give up.
That competitive spirit is evident also in their banter about upcoming basketball games between Carver and Northside. Winning is important because family bragging rights are at stake. Peacekeeping measures have been put in place.
“My mom, she and my sister will sit on my side for JV and freshman games. But when the varsity starts, they move over to his side. My grandmother, now that’s another story. She stays on my side all the time. The whole time, she is right there,” says Lawrence, producing laughter from both men.
It is very evident the Lawrence men share a close relationship. The younger coach says he seeks the advice of his father often. What Green and Brewbaker instilled in Lawrence years ago was added to the foundation already established by his parents. Many others along the way also encouraged him. Lawrence realizes he didn’t get here on his own and strives to be a catalyst for students and athletes every day.
It is no surprise to Northside’s boys basketball coach that his son was named Teacher of the Year.
“I am proud of Stefan but I always knew he had something in him. I would always tell him to prepare and make plans. One day, the ball stops bouncing. What are you going to do then?” says Kenneth Lawrence as his son nods his head in agreement.
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Muscogee County Teacher Of The Year Gives Father Credit
Written by Beth Welch
Photo by George McDuffie
