Head Basketball Coach James Dawson instructs the players during practice at Vero Beach High School. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

James Dawson eyed the hoopsters as they defied gravity, leaping into the air and gliding with precision to dunk the ball.

A VBHS basketball player leaps into a slam dunk during practice. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

The squeaks of gym shoes and shriek of the whistle filled the air as the basketballers ran the court to practice for their first upcoming match, a home game, at 7 p.m. on Nov. 19. The Vero Beach High School Fighting Indians will face-off against the Astronaut High School War Eagles.

It was all a familiar vibe for Dawson, who remembers hearing the crowds cheering in the stands and his family watching carefully as he played on the court, laying up shots into the nets and working in lockstep with his teammates.

“Being in that environment…there’s no better feeling than playing in front of a lot of people. The interactions with the fans stood out the most,” said Dawson, 52, of Vero Beach.

Now, Dawson wants to rekindle that sense of competitiveness and energy as he starts his first season as head coach at Vero Beach High School, his alma mater where he graduated in 1991.

“The crowd is rooting for you and pumping you up when you’re down. My family always came to my games. I remember the cheers… the talks amongst classmates… the moments of being on the court. Everyone felt pride. There was competitiveness even in the crowd when we played other schools. It was about bragging rights.”

Basketball season officially began on Monday in Florida. Dawson has already built bonds with his budding players. He hopes to make an impact in the same gym where he led the team in a district championship during his senior year.

‘Put in 100 percent’

Andre Ferguson, a forward and wing on the varsity squad, said the practice sessions allow him to get better each day, further crafting his athletic skill. The 16-year-old junior, who has played basketball since he was a young boy, said Dawson is a mentor to him.

VBHS forward Andre Ferguson maneuvers the ball down the court during practice. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

“He helped me realize that to get where you want to go, you have to put the work in,” Ferguson said. “If you don’t put in 100 percent, then it doesn’t matter. I’m confident we’ll do great this season.”

Alumni, former coaches and players agree that Dawson’s poignant return home brings his work for the team – first as a player and now a head coach – full circle.

“I know he’s really enthusiastic about coaching at his alma mater,” former Vero Beach High School basketball Coach Charles “Chuck” Loewendick said.

“That’s something that a lot of people are excited about.”

Loewendick, who retired in 2016, is considered the winningest coach across the Treasure Coast. The veteran coach said it’s great to have a former player like Dawson come back to train the young athletes.

Loewendick coached Dawson while he played for the Vero Beach High School basketball team. The revered coach said Dawson played hard and was a good defender. Dawson called Loewendick his mentor.

Upholding tradition

Thinking about the atmosphere at Vero Beach High School, where Dawson developed into a basketball standout more than 30 years ago, brings a smile to Dawson.

James Dawson (far left, bottom row) with his Fighting Indians teammates at Vero Beach High School. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMES DAWSON

Some point out that traditions don’t die at Vero Beach High School – the red, black and white battlefield of the Fighting Indians. Flashback photos show Dawson, whose name is mentioned amongst the greatest athletes to roam the school halls at the campus, located at 1707 16th Street.

Today, Coach Dawson, nicknamed “J.D.,” has a roster of 45 players on the Vero Beach High School Fighting Indians boys’ basketball team. The head coach said he is focused on teaching the athletes drills for defense – including closeouts, slides and help and recover – and offensive drills such as form shooting, jump hooks, power layups and finger rolls.

“I want to instill pride into playing for Vero Beach High School boys’ basketball and put a competitive team on the court,” Dawson said. “It’s about building and creating the culture you want based on how you expect the kids to play.”

‘Focused’

Even though the years have rolled by, Dawson said his feelings of competing remain the same. Dawson is honed in on guiding the Vero hoopsters to win the district championship, a goal he has already accomplished three times as head basketball coach at Fort Pierce Central High School.

At Vero Beach High School, the girls’ basketball team won its first Class 8A state title back in Feb. 2016 against Boca Raton Community High School. The boys’ team last entered the state championship in 2006.

The players call Dawson “Coach Dawson” as they soak in knowledge from the hoops veteran.

VBHS boys’ basketball Head Coach James Dawson. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

Dawson said he wants to grow excitement for the upcoming Holiday Hoopla, an annual Christmas basketball tournament held at Vero Beach High School for the past 35 years that brings out everyone in the community.

Dawson’s son, Myles Dawson, 25, is the assistant coach who is overseeing the junior varsity team. The older Dawson said his son encouraged him to apply for the job as head coach.

“It feels great to coach with my dad. We both know the game of basketball,” the younger Dawson said. “I can display what my dad has taught me over the years. It’s going to be a big season.”

The older Dawson said he is excited and anxious to lead the next stage of Vero Beach basketball.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t aspire to be head basketball coach at Vero Beach High School,” Dawson said. “I’m honored and humbled to be back home in this position.”

Aiming for legacy

Dawson’s earliest memories of playing his favorite sport come to life at Gifford Park, located at the Victor Hart Sr. Community Enhancement Complex.

VBHS basketball point guard James Dawson, then a junior, makes a shot during a match against the Palm Bay Magnet High School Pirates. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMES DAWSON

The coach said he wanted to be like athletes older than him who also attended Vero Beach High School. That includes former New York Jets wide receiver Dale Dawkins, along with School District Assistant Superintendent Eric Seymour. Seymour played football and basketball, and earned a double sports scholarship in 1979 to Delaware State University.

“They played basketball (at the school) before me,” said Dawson, who also played football, earned a full scholarship to Fayetteville State University in North Carolina and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in social work.

Dawson, a 6-foot-tall point guard during his senior year, and the Fighting Indians basketball team competed against the Fort Pierce Central High School Cobras in 1991 during the district championship. In a close match, the Fighting Indians lost by two points.

Dawson thinks back to his mentor. Loewendick remains a “legend” who garnered more than 600 wins during his time as a basketball coach.

Loewendick provided Dawson an unforgettable opportunity that would launch his coaching career spanning more than 25 years. Loewendick hired Dawson as an assistant basketball coach from 1999 to 2000 at Vero Beach High School.

The coaches led the boys’ basketball team to the Class 6A state championship in 2000, where the team lost to the Dillard High School Panthers. Later, Dawson made several professional moves, earning coaching positions with teams across the state and country before eventually returning to the 2,636-student campus at Vero Beach High School.

Dawson netted several championships while showing the basketball players the mechanics behind the ball game.

Coaching journey

Dawson coached at other schools throughout Florida.

VBHS boys’ basketball Head Coach James Dawson. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

Some of those campuses include Lake Wales High School, Hawthorne High School and Fort Pierce Central High School. Dawson coached out of state at Independence High School in Tennessee.

He also coached at Reginald F. Lewis High School and Academy for College and Career Exploration High School in Baltimore.

Dawson earned “Coach of the Year” during the 2002-2003 season, his second year at Lake Wales High School. The hoopster said he coached at Hawthorne High School in 2005 and guided the basketball team to win two back-to-back district championships.

While coaching basketball at Fort Pierce Central High School from 2007 to 2011, Dawson led the players to win three district championships. Dawson earned “Coach of the Year” during his first year at the campus and also steered the players to win the Holiday Hoopla.

A vessel of mentorship

Dawson had a complicated upbringing, with his mother being addicted to drugs and later becoming sober and saved. His father was locked away in prison. Dawson, who served in the Army National Guard, understands the youth might be dealing with similar circumstances.

Dawson, who also teaches learning strategies in exceptional student education at Vero high, said he wants to serve as a beacon of light, an inspiration and example. If he can make it through, Dawson points out, so can the players…and any youth.

The coach wants to pour into the kids, like his godmother, grandparents, aunts and uncles did for him.

Head Coach James Dawson instructs players on the VBHS boys’ basketball team. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

“I’m more than just a coach to these kids. I’m a father and mentor. My life is a testimony. I can relate more to those kids that have been in bad circumstances,” Dawson said. “I walked in these same streets that these kids live on. I’m personal. I want to know every kid’s background and their parents. It becomes more powerful the longer you stay and engage with people.”

The coach said academics is a huge cornerstone of the program. Dawson said he holds study halls before practice and that players need to maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average to stay on the team.

“The players are student athletes. We do progress checks on behavior and academics. I talk to the kids about going to class on time,” Dawson said. “Just like learning the kids on the court, I have to learn the kids academically and meet them where they are and start from there.”

Ronnie Jenkins, who previously played basketball for Dawson while enrolled at Fort Pierce Central High School, is now an air force recruiter working out of south Florida. Jenkins, 33, of Port St. Lucie, still keeps in touch with Dawson.

Jenkins said Dawson had taught him attention to detail, hard work and consistency.

High expectations

For Dawson, no one can come close to having a higher expectation than he has for himself. The head coach is focused on building around the nucleus of players who will be at practice every day.

“Coaches are judged by winning. I want to be judged by the impact I have on kids,” Dawson said. “I didn’t come here to ‘fly-by-night.’ I’m home.”