The Wetumpka boys basketball team will have a new coach patrolling the sidelines this season.
Wetumpka has hired Steven Thomas as its new head varsity boys basketball coach. He replaces Byron Gaskin, who was the head coach for the last three years and on staff for the last five.
Thomas was hired as an assistant coach this summer, but promoted to head coach after Gaskin left early in the school year.
“I’m really excited,” Thomas said. “I came in during June and we went to a few camps and coach Gaskin was happy to have me on board. When he left, I told the guys that being with this group has been the most fun coaching I’ve had since I started coaching. Their attitude and their energy, effort and competitiveness has made it a joy this summer. I’m beyond excited to try and take this team where coach Gaskin envisioned it.”
Thomas is familiar with Wetumpka’s current roster as he’s been around the area the last few years. Thomas has coached at two high schools and two colleges, most recently the head basketball coach at Alabama Christian Academy.
He was the head coach at ACA for the last two seasons. He served as an assistant for the Eagles for a season before getting the head job, and he coached all around the state before that.
He started his coaching career as a student assistant at the University of Mobile, where he was a standout guard for four seasons. After a year of that, he took an assistant basketball job and co-head coach of the Mobile Christian soccer team.
In 2017 and 2018, he was a graduate assistant at the University of West Alabama, and he went to ACA following his two-year stint there.
Being at four different places, he’s coached a multitude of different ways but has settled on his coaching style. And that style begins with playing tough defense.
“Coming in, there’s a lot of similarities with what I bring and what coach Gaskin had in place,” Thomas said. “My biggest thing is I’m a defensive guy first. If you will bust your tail on defense for me, then you’ll have a lot more freedom to go out and play on offense. We will keep it mostly simple with some dribble and drive stuff to get the athletes out there and attack off the dribble. We want to use athleticism to get to the basket and make opposing defenses work.”
Wetumpka’s team went 15-11 last season but missed the playoffs after losing a close two-point game to rival Stanhope Elmore in the area semifinals.
The Indians return some talent from last year’s team, including star point guard Nate Rogers. Rogers led the team in scoring last year with 20 points per game, and he shot 45% from the field and nearly 40% from 3-point range. He added 100 rebounds during the year.
Rogers isn’t the only threat that returns from last year’s team. D’Marcus Peake is another talented guard on the team, and Landon Sargent and Walter Lacey each stand at 6-foot-4.
After seeing what he has on the roster, Thomas is excited to begin the season.
“I took notice of Nate about two years ago when I was at ACA,” Thomas said. “He’s just a competitor and he can score at any level. He can handle the ball and defend and he can do anything you ask of him. I’m excited to work with him and everyone else. I see a lot of versatility with this group, both offensively and defensively. I like D’Marcus Peake. He’s going to be another guy who we look towards with his energy and effort. I think we’re going to have a good group from that aspect of the game.”
