It was April of 2020, the dark days of the pandemic, when Garrett Winegar and J.R. Howell’s lives really intertwined for the first time.
They were both high school basketball coaches then – Winegar at Warren Central and Howell an assistant at Carmel. They were both on the bench in 2018 (Winegar was an assistant) when Warren Central defeated Carmel in the Class 4A state finals.
Winegar and Howell crossed paths in the hallway of Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Carmel. Their wives, Sable Winegar and Kate Howell, were just two doors down from each other, there to give birth to their first-born sons.
Winegar and Howell ran into each other in the hallway on the way to the cafeteria. A friendship, along with Jack Howell and Guyton Winegar, was born.
“We’ve been friends ever since,” Howell said.
Which leads to six years later. Winegar, a state championship coach at Fishers, left the program last month to take a position at Iowa United Prep in Des Moines, where he will coach the “Orange” Team made up of freshmen and sophomores. Former Indiana guard Keith Smart is the coach of the “Black” team of seniors and juniors that plays on Nike EYBL Scholastic circuit.
After solidifying his spot on the Iowa United Prep staff, Winegar reached out to Howell to gauge his interest in joining the staff as his assistant.
“I didn’t know if we would do it,” Winegar said. “It’s a big move.”
It took a little time, but Howell decided the time and place was right. He informed his team at Zionsville on Tuesday morning that he was stepping down after six seasons at the helm.
Next stop: Des Moines, Iowa.
“I’ve been friends with Garrett for a while now and we’ve had some other connections that have bonded us since then,” Howell said. “This opportunity presented itself and it was intriguing for me to grow as a coach and a person.”
Howell said his goal when he started coaching was to progress into college coaching. This move could put him into better position to make that jump eventually. Howell, who was 77-62 at Zionsville, has coached previously at Caston (2013-15) and Western Boone (2015-17) before a three-year tenure as an assistant for Ryan Osborn at Carmel that included a state title in 2018-19.
“(College coaching) was my goal when I started coaching but things in life happened and I kind of readjusted my priorities,” he said. “We wanted to start a family, but making this move now I can make sure we’re in a good position and the boys are young enough (ages 6 and 4) where they aren’t too connected or ingrained with their friends’ group. The timing was right and it’s a great opportunity.”
The Howell name is synonymous with high school basketball. Howell’s father, Jimmie Howell, coached 40 seasons, winning two state championships at Lapel before retiring in 2020 with 625 wins. Jimmie has helped his son as an assistant for the past several years at Zionsville.
“Indiana high school basketball is the mecca of high school basketball,” said Howell, who played for his father at Lapel. “I cherished my time coaching and playing in this state. But I felt like for my family, this is the best opportunity for us.”
For both coaches, there is a comfort level that comes with having the other make the move. Not only for themselves but their young families.
“For one thing, it’s good to have somebody who believes in you and trusts that we’re going to do something special,” Winegar said. “I respect him as a basketball coach. But it’s also huge for me because we’re friends and I respect him as a person. To move seven hours across the country with somebody I respect and trust and getting in on the ground floor is my first win and we haven’t even played a game yet. I love it for our families.”
Howell made a trip to Des Moines and see the 73,000 square foot facility where the Iowa United Prep players train and practice. Iowa United founder Mark Scharnberg started the program as a development program that is a prep school that also plays high-level AAU basketball and recruits players from all over the country and overseas.
“It’s a pretty remarkable place,” Howell said.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Chance meeting in hospital leads to two Indiana high school coaches teaming up in Iowa
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
