Honestly, I'm feeling bad for Coach Benny Vaughan of Isle of Wight Academy, but better that I'm not bugging him right now. About five weeks ago, I was given a potential assignment from Lynn Burke, our community sports editor at the Daily Press. The message was -- Coach Vaughan started the same year I did with the Daily Press - 1971. He has 598 wins, and is about to get 600.
 |
| The Isle of Wight Academy boys team warms up before a recent game against StoneBridge. A win would have given coach Benny Vaughan his 600th win. |
At the time, the Chargers were 2-4, and getting ready for a three game tournament at Peninsula Catholic, which is not terribly far from home. They lost the first and won the second, putting the tally at 599. However, they lost the third and have been on a tailspin, now sporting a 3-13 record. Surely, his players are feeling some pressure, so I was happy to file this article and move on. The team will get the win, and soon. It will be a great act to honor a great educator and coach.
Unedited version of article which appeared in Daily Press sports section - Jan. 10, 2015
For
the past 44 years, Isle of Wight Academy’s Benjamin Vaughan has built a
reputation based on excellence. As he stood on the sidelines in the gym at
StoneBridge School on Thursday evening, the veteran educator projected the look
of his scholarly role in a brown suit with matching tie and loafers. While maintaining
a genteel demeanor, Vaughan has been successful in all phases of academia,
whether serving as a teacher, guidance counselor, or the position he has held
for the past 25 years, school headmaster.
But Vaughan has also
carved out a unique career in the 39 years he has served as the boys basketball
coach at IWA, and just one evening after Tabb coach Doug Baggett earned his 500th
basketball victory, “Benny” Vaughan aimed to raise the ante, going for career
victory #600, as his squad squared off against the host Cavaliers in a Metro
Conference matchup.
For the Chargers,
it has been a long struggle to get the historic win for their coach. After
beginning the season 2-4, they stumbled into Thursday’s contest with a 3-11
record (1-5 Metro), making the last two wins of this adventure a tough ride.
And on this night, they would fall behind 51-40 in the game’s last five
minutes, then valiantly fight back before dropping a 59-57 decision.
But the journey
has been well worth it, because it has given the longtime coach an opportunity
to reflect on his past and appreciate the present. He shows little resistance
when he states that he has no plans to try and reach 700 wins. Over the past
three weeks, Vaughan has been quick to note that “every win we have this year has
been a challenge,” but even quicker to credit his colleagues and opponents.
Reflecting over
his long career, Vaughan relishes the early days. “We still have basketball
alumni from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s that come to our games. He rattles off
four names – Wendy Williams, Michael King, Everette Scott and Steve Chambliss
as being on the team for IWA’s first ever win. “I have coached many second
generation players, including the sons of Williams and King. Many of our former
players still feel connected to the school and to IWA basketball.”
He also talked
of his relationship with Baggett. “He’s a good coach. I don’t know him really
well, but we worked together at a CNU camp a couple of years ago.”
In another
ironic twist, the historic win almost came against one of Vaughan’s
contemporaries, Cavalier coach R. Cal Woolard. With a smile, he noted that
“he’s older than me, but it just goes to show that we’ve been at it for a
while.”
A couple of
sentences later, with the IWA girls team putting the finishing touches on a
52-27 victory, he added, “Chris (Hooper, the IWA girls coach) has done a great
job with this team, acknowledging their 6-5 (3-2 Metro) record after Thursday’s
victory.
Before leaving
to join his team, Vaughan pointed out “they (StoneBridge) played very well in
their last game. Their guard, Caleb Dawkins, is the son of (former Duke guard)
Andre Dawkins. He’s really good for an eighth grader.”
Ironically, it
was two key free throws by Dawkins that helped seal the win for StoneBridge. The
Cavaliers, smaller than IWA, proved to be too quick as Dawkins and Shaun Faulk
got ahead of many transitions to set up easy lay-ups, and drove through the
lane with authority to set up other scores. Combined with Terrick Philpot’s
four bullets from the three-point range, even center Bryce Casey’s 33 points
were not enough to counter the StoneBridge offensive attack.
The journey for
IWA and Coach Benny Vaughan will continue tonight in Smithfield as the Chargers
host Alliance Christian.
