CRESTVIEW — In 1976, Kelvin Lee was in the midst of a breakout sophomore season for the Crestview Bulldog team that ranked tops in the state. But three quarters into the season on a night the 6-foot-3 guard dropped 20 points on Walton, he tore a ligament in his knee.
“Joe Dortch and Kenny Rogers Jr., they like to say we’d have won it all that year,” said Lee, who had to watch from the sideline as the Bulldogs lost to Milton in the district title in what’d be just their third loss that season.
Lee finished went on to finish all-area and all-state at Crestview on his way to a four-year career at Houston Baptist University. Five decades later, after a whirlwind coaching career that began at Crestview and took him to D-I collegiate stops and a Hall of Fame prep career in Missouri, Lee is back to lead the Crestview boys basketball team into the next chapter.
“I saw the opening during spring break and I couldn’t turn it down,” Lee said. “God led me back to Crestview.”
Everywhere Lee’s coached, he’s had to change the culture. That includes three separate stops in St. Louis: a six-year stint recently at University City High School, a three-year stint at Miller Academy and, most noteworthy, a 16-year tenure at Chaminade College Preparatory. There he went from a four-win season his first year to a Class AAAAAA state title in 2009, Lee leading the Red Devils to a 282-169 record (.625 winning percentage) and coaching the likes of Boston Celtic and NBA champion Jayson Tatum, Phoenix Suns guard and three-time star Bradley Beal and 12-year NBA veteran David Lee.
Crestview, though, represents a different project. This is not a metro program where Lee will groom multiple NBA prospects. Nor is it a program that needs to be rebuilt, Greg Watson stepping down for a job at BSN Sports after leading the Bulldogs to a 2019 7A state title and a 157-88 record over 11 seasons.
“I have to give credit to coach Watson,” Lee said. “He led Crestview to great things, but now it’s time to create my own legacy.”
A legacy built from playing for and learning from the best.
His high school coach, “the late, great Ken Rogers,” taught him accountability. He then played for Clarence Eugene Iba at Houston Baptist University and would later follow him later to Baylor as an assistant coach after spending a year at Crestview as the JV coach under the legendary Ronald Davis. He also praised Charles Spoonhour, who mentored him for three years at St. Louis University (Lee would go on to earn a place in the Billiken HOF).
“I’ve been blessed to be around great coaches and I’ve soaked it all in, and I’ve had the chance to coach great players and develop them,” Lee said.
Lee has more than 500 career wins and looks to add to that at Crestview, where this offseason he’s hit the ground running with two-a-days from Monday to Thursday: a 7-9 a.m. practice to work on individual skills, and a 3-5 p.m. practice to focus on team-building. In those practices, Lee imparts the motto: “Adapt, improve and then overcome.”
“That’s life,” Lee said. “If you can’t adapt when changes come your way, you won’t be successful.”
As for his goals at Crestview, he preaches patience. But he also has his sights set on milestones.
“At Chaminade, we won four games my first year. But we got better every year and we eventually became a powerhouse,” Lee said. “I’ve been given a gift and God has led me back to Crestview. The object here is winning obviously, but my job is to coach these kids to the best of my ability. I want the kids to feel my presence and buy in. Winning 20 games will be a goal, maybe not in the first year. But 20 wins is a sign of a good team. Winning districts is a goal too, because then anything can happen after that in the playoffs.”
Lee’s presence extends beyond high school into the community he loves. He already has two basketball ball handling camps running from June 30 to July 3, one from 9 to 11 a.m. and the other from 1 to 3 p.m. for boys and girls third through eighth grade. Registration is $50, and for more info contact Lee at 636-212-3848.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: ‘God led me back to Crestview’: Alum Kelvin Lee succeeds Watson
Reporting by Seth Stringer, Northwest Florida Daily News / Northwest Florida Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
