2022 Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Coach of the Year: Woodstock North’s Mike Lewis

Woodstock North’s girls basketball team enjoyed its first Kishwaukee River Conference title – a share of the KRC championship with Marengo – two years ago, but returning players for the Thunder had bigger ideas for 2022.

North finished the season at 19-8 and won the KRC title outright for the first time in team history, going 9-1 in conference play and holding off Marengo by a game in the final standings.

Mike Lewis, the Thunder’s only girls basketball coach since the school opened in 1998, announced after the season that he would not be returning next season. He led North to a 160-197 record over his 13 years, finishing a program-best 21-10 in 2020 and winning the first KRC basketball championship – boys or girls – in school history.

For leading the Thunder to a standout season, Lewis was voted the 2022 Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Coach of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Huntley’s Steve Raethz, Jacobs’ Jonny Reibel and Prairie Ridge’s Tim Taege also received strong consideration.

Lewis recently spoke to the Northwest Herald about his favorite memories from the season, his coaching style, staying away from food on game days and more.

Do you have any rituals or superstitions on game day?

Lewis: I usually don’t eat before games. Not that I would necessarily get or feel sick. That kind of started when I was playing in high school. I would basically only eat carrots before my game while my friends are eating double cheeseburgers and all that stuff. I couldn’t get myself to do that.

Is there a particular game or moment this season you will remember most vividly?

Lewis: I think it really spans across a few weeks, but I think the biggest moment for us was how well the girls handled the adversity of not having [senior starting point guard Lacey Schaffter] for a few weeks. I think that allowed us to be as successful as we were.

Which player on your team made you laugh the most?

Lewis: That’s tough because there are so many, but I would probably say Trinity Tillman. She’s as goofy as can be. She tries to be funny sometimes, and other times she’s just being herself and she makes me laugh.

What got you interested in coaching?

Lewis: I really enjoyed the coaching aspect when I was playing for my high school coach, which I thought he did a really good job of just explaining the game itself. And myself being a 6-foot power forward, I had to know pretty early on the ins and outs of the game itself, or else I would kind of get lost in that situation because I’m not very big. You cover these boys teams now, and they’ve got some pretty big kids on them.

How has your coaching style changed over the years?

Lewis: When I first started, I was looking for every opportunity to get them in the gym because I felt like more was always going to be better. You always hear that practice makes perfect, so I would tell the kids even on days off of school, you still have to still get up at 7 and run your regular day. Now, just listening to colleges and getting a little older, I’ve kind of backed off that a little bit. Having rest to recover and being in the right spot mentally I think is far more important to their growth than getting in the gym all the time.

If you could change one thing about high school basketball, what would it be?

Lewis: I was interested in the thought that there may be a shot clock soon for high school basketball. I think it’s going to be eye-opening for players. You’re going to have to really practice that every day. You’re going to have kids with the ball in their hands taking shots in positions where they might not normally do that. I think that change is interesting ... and I’m looking forward to see how that works.

What sport that you didn’t play in high school would you have been good at?

Lewis: The only other one that was offered at my school for boys would have been soccer, and I’m not sure I would have been good at that. I enjoy playing golf, but that wouldn’t have worked out for me, either. If anything, I kind of wish I would have just stuck with football, because I only played my first two years. I know I wouldn’t have been a great wrestler. [Mahomet-Seymour] is known for wrestling, so I would have gotten it handed to me every single day.

Which one of your players do you find really inspiring?

Lewis: I’ve been inspired since I first met Lacey. When I first saw her in the gym, she couldn’t have been 5-foot, and she’s always been smaller than everybody else. It’s just her mentality. I watched her older sister do the same thing, and they’re about the same size. She’s like a bulldog, and I think she thinks she’s 6-foot when she goes against these bigger kids, and she enjoys that. I’ve never seen a kid put in as much time and work on their craft as I have her. There’s been plenty of times where I pulled out a shooting machine and she’d shoot 400, 500 shots. On top of that, she’s making 60% of her shots.

What is your most prized possession?

Lewis: My family. That’s something that’s always been most important to me. It’s something I was taught when I was younger, and that’s what I also try to teach these kids, too.

What are three of your favorite movies?

Lewis: “The Last Dance,” “Step Brothers” and “Dumb and Dumber.”

What will you remember most about the graduating senior class?

Lewis: Just how much they care for each other and how much time they put in for this for each other. I know that they’ve created a bond with each other that’s never going to be broken, and that’s really important to me.”