Alan Weems has led Greenwood Christian to the Class A semistate each of the last two years.
Daily Journal file photo
Greenwood Christian girls basketball has produced memories, tears of both joy and heartache and 140 victories over the past decade.
Alan Weems has witnessed all of it.
The GCA coach since the 2012-13 season, the 66-year-old is in the twilight of his coaching career. He’s decided this season will be his last.
“Ten years is a long time, and maybe it’s not when you’re 35. But when you’re doing it at 55, it’s a long time,” Weems said. “You’re at a different place in your life when you get to 65, 66, so you have to make a determination then — can I still be effective at 66 coaching, 17-, 16- and 18-year old kids?
“I think I can be. The enjoyability factor has a direct impact, I think, on whether or not you should be there. And if I’m not 100%, I shouldn’t be there. It was just kind of time.”
A 1974 Martinsville graduate, Weems continued his education at Indiana State University before embarking on a career teaching marketing at Central Nine Career Center that lasted more than 30 years.
He has worked as a residential and commercial realtor since 2003.
Weems’ coaching career began at Whiteland, where he led the Warriors for three seasons from 1998-2001 after a long stretch there as an assistant coach.
“Jerry Beasley called me right after I resigned at Whiteland,” said Weems, referring to the former Greenwood girls basketball coach. “He said, ‘Why don’t you help me?’ I volunteered with Jerry for a year, and then stayed with Deb Guckenberger (now Smiley) a couple years as an assistant.
“My boys, in the meantime, had started at Greenwood Christian Academy. Somebody over there found out I had coaching experience, so they talked me into taking the girls 7-8 team to help build the program.”
In time, Weems was in charge of the whole thing.
Weems’ first GCA varsity squad finished 13-9, and with the exception of his second, all of the coach’s first nine GCA squads completed the season with winning records. This year’s Cougars also remain in contention for a plus-.500 mark with two regular-season games and the postseason remaining.
GCA has won three straight sectional championships, and the Cougars’ regional titles the last two seasons represent the first ones in school history — in any sport.
As great as the wins are, Weems has impacted the Cougars in other ways, too, according to four-year starting forward Izzy Reed, now a freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University.
“My favorite thing about having him as my coach all four years of high school is that was no doubt he loved and cared for all of us,” said Reed, who completed her prep career with 2,062 points – currently 36th all-time among girls players in Indiana — and a state-record 1,349 rebounds.
“There were so many things he didn’t have to do, but did anyway. We had so many team dinners and community service projects, and that was because of coach Weems.”
The Cougars won 38% of their games (50-82) prior to Weems’ arrival and 58% since — and those wins are coming against better teams. The majority of GCA’s 22 opponents in the coach’s debut season were Class A squads. Compare that to the current regular-season schedule, which features two 4A, four 3A and seven 2A teams.
“He was always big on getting us a harder schedule,” Reed said. “He wanted us to play bigger schools, and because of that, it prepared us for the state tournament.”
And while there are advantages in coaching at a private school, an established feeder system isn’t one of them.
“When you look at his overall body of work, he’s not exactly sure of what he has year in and year out,” said Waldron girls coach Anthony Thomas, whose Mohawks are ranked second in Class 2A. “What Alan has done the last two years is nothing short of remarkable.
“Plus, high school basketball games at any level are difficult to win. He’s been great for that school, in my opinion. GCA is going to miss him. I guarantee it.”
