Pair of area high school coaches reach milestones

McLeod head coach Steven Lambeth, right, watches the opening tipoff of the Region II-2A championship game on March 7  at Boyd High School in McKinney, Texas. Lambeth reached 300 career wins during the past season.
McLeod head coach Steven Lambeth, right, watches the opening tipoff of the Region II-2A championship game on March 7 at Boyd High School in McKinney, Texas. Lambeth reached 300 career wins during the past season.

Hooks girls coach Jack Bowles and McLeod boys coach Steven Lambeth hurdled individual milestones during this past basketball season.

Bowles, who coached girls for the first time this winter during his 28-year career, eclipsed 500 career wins on the hard court, according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches monthly newsletter.

Lambeth, who led the Longhorns to the regional finals and a win away from the state tournament, reached 300 career wins during his 16-years in charge of the McLeod program.

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"The first thing the 500 wins tells me is that I've coached a long time because you can't get that (award) in 10 years," Bowles said. "I haven't kept up with my record, but my wife did. You had to have had a lot of good players along the way, which I have in both Oklahoma and Texas.

"I've enjoyed my time in northeast Texas; it's become a second home to me over 16 years. I've enjoyed coaching against a lot of the guys I've coached against; Steven Lambeth is one of them. He does a really good job over at McLeod."

Bowles has qualified for the Oklahoma state basketball tournament three times with two different schools during his career. He returned to Texas this year to coach the Lady Hornets, and he has also coached at Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill and Avery, where he spent 10 years.

Bowles and the other 500-win coaches across the state will be honored at the 2021 state basketball tournament.

Lambeth is a McLeod native, having attended the school from kindergarten through graduation. He has coached 19 years all at McLeod with the last 16 seasons as boys head coach.

Lambeth is also the athletic director for the Longhorn athletic program.

"I've always had kids who worked really hard," Lambeth said. "I don't know if it's because I went to school with their parents or what it is, but every group wants to out-work the previous group, it seems. It makes it a lot easier when you have kids that believe in what you're asking them to do.

"We've had success building on success from the year before. It's been a lot of fun, and it makes your job easy when everybody comes in wanting to succeed and willing to put in the work."

His Longhorns posted a 35-3 record and reached the regional finals for the first time in modern-playoff format history. They came one win away from the state tournament, falling to unbeaten Martin's Mill.

"This was the first time we've had a team make it past the third round." the Longhorn coach said. "This group of seniors and juniors have made the playoffs every year, either getting beat in the first or second round. So they had more experience, heading into this postseason. They had the expectations to compete and they rose to the challenge."

After just one season, Bowles noticed differences between coaching boys and girls in basketball.

"Anyone who tells you that there isn't a difference between coaching boys and coaching girls, is not right," Bowles said. "I don't have to be as aggressive coaching girls, and the girls are eager to learn. Boys have to play good to feel good; girls have to feel good to play good. They're wired so different, it seems."

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