Garrett Stevens embodies “Mr. Wakefield”
Former student and 2004 State Basketball champ commits to Wakefield with a passion
Coach Stevens monitors players on the court.
Stevens is the head coach of the Varsity Men’s basketball program, as well as a CTE teacher. Stevens also attended Wakefield High School and played on the basketball team from 2001-2005. He could be seen as “Mr. Wakefield” and Stevens is always willing to do what he can to promote school spirit. Not only does he do this effectively, but he does it with great passion as well. He loves seeing his students grow on and off the court.
“I love being able to see both students and players grow as individuals throughout their high school years and witnessing different successes,” Stevens said. “Watching them overcome challenges, reach their goals, and move on to the next phase of life.”
As a teacher, Stevens builds positive relationships with his students in the classroom. His students have had nothing but positive things to say about him. One student, in particular, senior Brandon Herrera, believes Stevens does an exceptional job as both a teacher and a coach.
“I think Coach Stevens does a great job as a teacher as well as a coach,” Herrera said. “I also like how he is very thorough in his explanations of various subjects in class.”
Alongside students, Stevens builds strong relationships with his players as well. Sophomore Vernon Fraley enjoys Stevens’ coaching style as well as his dependability. He is completely comfortable talking with Stevens about anything whether it is about basketball or not.
Coach Stevens consults his team during a timeout.
“I have a strong relationship with Coach Stevens,” Fraley said. “He is helping me improve as an overall player, especially on the defensive end. I also feel as though I can come to him if I ever feel like I need anything, which is what I look for in a coach.”
Junior Captain Elijah Shabazz specifically has a very special relationship with Stevens. Their time spent together on and off the court is really important to him.
“Coach Stevens is more like a mentor than a coach to me,” Shabazz said. “He cares more about my off-the-court life rather than just solely focusing on basketball.”
The coaches that work with Stevens also have high opinions of him and they enjoy working with him, not only on but off the basketball court as well. Assistant Coach Trent Wilson particularly loves the way Stevens gives his assistant coaches just as much of a voice on the team as he does.
“I truly enjoy working with Coach Stevens,” Wilson said. “He is young, innovative, and has a great vision for the game and our team. He allows his assistants to be an active part of the planning and preparation for games and practices, and truly relies on our input.”
The chemistry between coaches is very important in a successful sports team. Wilson and Stevens share a friendship that carries over onto the court. They both share the same aspirations for the future of the program.
“My favorite part of working with him is that our visions are aligned together,” Wilson said. “This makes it easier on the players as a whole. This could be due to the time we spend together off the court. In spite of our age difference (23 years), we have become close friends. We are constantly talking about our dreams and goals for the team, and it transcends into a great coaching environment that embodies a mutual respect — Wilson
Assistant Coach Adam Mills also has some positive things to say about his work with Stevens.
“We have been coaching together for five seasons now,” Mills said. “I admire how much time and energy Coach Stevens has invested into rebuilding Wakefield Basketball into a respectable program.”
Former Coach Thomas Kinkelaar has nothing but praise for Stevens. Being a role player on the team, he still had a huge impact on his work ethic.
“I had the privilege to coach Stevens,” Kinkelaar said. “He was in my program for three years and was on the State Championship Team of 2004 as a junior. He was a role player for us as we had four seniors start for us in 2004. I would consider him a coach’s dream type player in that he always worked very hard, was an outstanding student, never a discipline problem, and very much a team player. He came from a great family who supported him and our team. I always said our role players had just as much to do with us winning the State Championship as anyone. They were the best team we played all year, they never backed down and really pushed our starters every day in practice. I consider Coach Stevens family and we will always have a close bond!”
Being someone who played for the school back when he attended, Stevens always had the idea that he wanted to become a coach. He believes there is not much that he would have done differently from back then to now.
“I always knew I wanted to coach so the one thing I would have done differently would have been to get involved in college,” Stevens said. “A lot of Division 1 teams have managers and students around the program who eventually end up becoming assistants or working for the athletic departments. Other than that I think I would do everything the same because it got me to this point.”
Stevens is an excellent choice for someone to be known as “Mr. Wakefield.” He has a love for the school that no one else has. Not only does he have a love for the school, but also for the Wakefield community as a whole.
“My favorite things about being at Wakefield are relationships I built and continue to build,” Stevens said. “I still have friends I went to school with, teammates who have been out to games to support us, coaches who reach out and offer insight or support, and former teachers who do the same. Wakefield as a community can offer a lot of positive things.”
Going forward, Stevens has high aspirations and expectations for the team. As long as he’s leading the program, it will continue to grow under him.
“Obviously we want to have success on the court, win conference championships, go to the playoffs, and win a state championship,” Stevens said. “In addition though, making sure we impact our players in a positive manner and instill good habits, a strong work ethic, and build long-lasting relationships. Making sure we run a first-class program is very important.”
