Willie Lewis has been hired as James Wood High School’s boys’ head basketball coach, the school anounced in a news release on Tuesday.
A 2010 graduate of Shenandoah University, Lewis spent seven years (2010-17) as an assistant coach at SU. He spent two seasons with the women and five with the men. He was also an assistant coach with the Virginia Valley Vipers pro team in 2023 under Andrew Oates.
Lewis will be the fourth person to lead the James Wood varsity program since Tim Wygant’s contract was not renewed in 2024 following an 11-year run as head coach. Ben Bates coached James Wood during the 2024-25 season. Chris Higgs took over in 2025-26 but resigned after one game. Paul Hvozdovic — who was a varsity assistant — served as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
James Wood went 7-15 this year and did not qualify for the Region 4D tournament.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to lead the program at James Wood,” said Lewis in the release. “My goal is to build something special that the school and community can be proud of, while helping our players grow both on and off the court.”