Chuck Lowendick started coaching at Vero Beach in 1988. He is entering his 27th season as the head boys’ basketball coach at Vero Beach High School and to say that he’s seen it all is an understatement. Over the years the team has reached the Final Four in the state tournament four times and had one losing season in almost three decades. Coach Lowendick said he is proud of the team’s consistency.
“We’ve had some different type kids but we’ve always been competitive,” Lowendick said. “When we used to be in a conference that was always a challenge to win, and we have had success on the regional and state level.”
In addition to an already stellar resume Coach Lowendick was recently named the winningest basketball coach on the Treasure Coast passing Martin County basketball legend Don Wallen. “It means I’ve been coaching for a long time and coaching a lot of games,” Lowendick quipped. “Don Wallen set the bar pretty high in Martin County in terms of a good program. To be in the same classification or category with him is pretty humbling because he was a really really good coach.”
As times change, so do the attitudes of athletes on and off the court. Coach Lowendick said part of being successful is being able to communicate with the next generation of players.
“You gotta change with the times and I don’t know how much the kids have changed but their outside influences have really changed,” Lowendick said. “Today you have kids wanting to know about hiring an agent in the 9th grade or having a highlight tape when they haven’t even played a game, or worrying about a scholarship when they haven’t even played their first varsity game. It’s the instant gratification – they don’t want to put the time in that’s necessary. They see the end result of a guy going to college or getting a contract but don’t understand to get from where they are to there involves a tremendous process of hard work.”
So do young players in today’s game value the opportunity to play basketball as a team and represent their school? Coach Lowendick believes they do. “I tell them it’s not a right to play, it’s a privilege and you’ve got to earn that privilege every day when you’re playing,” Lowendick said. “Working together and working really hard and doing things the right way in the end pays off. I want to make sure I’m giving them my best effort every game and practice just like I expect them to give me their best effort in every game and practice.”
