Two years ago, George Lancaster announced his retirement after a decorated coaching career at Highland Springs that spanned 37 seasons there.
As the case generally is with many premier coaches, the itch to be on the sidelines stays with them, in their blood, until the very end. And a move back to Mecklenburg County, where his journey on the sidelines began, brought a special opportunity for Lancaster.
Lancaster has decided to take over as the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Bluestone High School, where he served as the Head Girls Basketball Coach - unexpectedly - the past two seasons.
“I guess it’s my glutton for punishment,” quipped Lancaster, 73. “Or to not squander an opportunity to make a contribution, and that’s really the way I want to look at it. I thought maybe I’d come back home and work on my grandfather’s house. I ended up inviting some of my relatives out to live in this house and it’s 130-something years old. I started working on it, and then two months later I was the girls coach."
Lancaster, who saw his coaching career begin at Bluestone Junior High in Mecklenburg, spent six seasons at Huguenot (three coaching varsity, three coaching junior varsity) before arriving at Highland Springs in 1979. With the Springers, he amassed a bulk of the 704 wins that currently places him fourth in Virginia High School League history.
In fact, only Robert E. Lee-Staunton's Paul Hatcher (897 victories), Hopewell's Bill Littlepage (755 wins) and Maury's Jack Baker (746 wins) have won more games in VHSL Boys Basketball history than Lancaster. With Baker stepping away from the sidelines before the 2017-18 campaign, that leaves Lancaster now tops among active coaches.
Since he was already at Bluestone coaching the girls basketball team - which won just three games his first year and six this past season - Lancaster was more than willing to lend a helping hand when approached to coach the boys.
"To be the boys coach is sort of full circle in that I was offered the job, chose to leave and it really was a great move to go to Richmond at that time. They made things available for me here. The kids are excited that I’m with them and I’m equally excited. I feel a need to be with them, show them some things that can maybe be to their advantage one day when they move on, and they’re athletic," Lancaster noted.
"They sought me out for the discipline piece that they felt needed to be there. I don’t know that I’d call myself a disciplinarian, but I certainly like structure and things to go a certain way. It usually pays off and not just in basketball, but in other areas as well. I’m very pleased and who would’ve thought that at 73 I would be starting a new career.”
Besides coaching girls basketball, Lancaster was an assistant football coach with the Barons last year, working with wide receivers and linebackers. He was asked to stay on under new Head Football Coach Harry John. However, he decided it would be too much and will focus on just coaching basketball for the time being.
There are some members of the football team though that will be of great help on the hardwood next winter. Leading the way is Chris Gregory, a 6-foot-3 rising senior who’ll move to the point guard position. Gregory was a 2nd Team All-State selection in basketball last season.
“Chris Gregory is a wonderful young athlete who plays three different sports – baseball, basketball and football. He’s a consummate hard-worker, understands the game, a very good defender, a decent ball-handler, distributes the ball and goes to the basket extremely well," Lancaster said.
Two others to keep an eye on are Michael Harris, a 6-foot-5 rising junior that will play in the front-court, and Datrione Shearin, a junior and “good all-around athlete,” who was a forward on the junior varsity that will be a tri-captain.
Twice, Lancaster guided Highland Springs to a state title. He's hoping those three can create some magic at the Class 2 level similar to another talented trio he coached previously in Brandon Rozzell, Jamar Abrams and Jay Threatt – a Division I threesome that led the Springers to the Group AAA State Championship in 2007.
“Those are the ‘Three Amigos,’ of the team that we think will be pretty good. Now, I already told them the stories about Highland Springs. That was a different era and different types of persons," Lancaster said.
"What they really possessed was knowledge of the game, coupled with the fact that they loved each other as people. We’re trying to get them to understand that the love and respect of your teammates far exceeds your individual talent or your will to be successful."
Plans are in place to build a new High School within three to four years, where Bluestone and Park View will combine to form one school in Mecklenburg County.
“That would be very great for me to hopefully be the last coach at Bluestone High School. Of course, I hope to be able to afford a ticket to a game at the new High School," said Lancaster, eager for this new challenge, perhaps the final one in his illustrious career that saw him get inducted into the VHSL Hall of Fame in 2013.
“I'm really excited about coaching. I feel needed and wanted. It’s not going to be easy because nothing good comes easily. There are people that will be for you and some people that will not be for you. That too is life. Life continues to move, and if you want to be apart of life, you’ll move as life moves.”
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.
