MORGANTOWN — Trinity Christian boys’ basketball coach John Fowkes has learned a thing or two about coming up short.
This winter, his team was Morgantown’s Cinderella story, making a run to the WVSSAC Class A state semifinals before bowing out to eventual state champ Wheeling Central Catholic.
Just a few weeks later, Fowkes was nominated for the Van Meter Coach of the Year Award. He didn’t win that, either. The honors went to fellow basketball coach Brad Napier, who led his Chapmanville squad to a Class AA state championship.
If you ask Fowkes, though, he is still a winner. For him, the win is achieving the level he has with the Warriors the last two seasons. Being nominated for such a prestigious award was just a reflection of that success.
“I think it’s pretty cool to have my name on a list with all those guys,” he said. “It’s pretty humbling.”
Of course, Fowkes came in two years ago as the head coach at Trinity expecting nothing less than to build a powerhouse. After helping Morgantown girls’ coach Jason White earn state rings, he was ready to take the reigns and do the same with his own squad.
“Initially, my goals were to taker this team and get back to the state tournament level and win a state championship,” he said. “My first year we didn’t do it, but I’ve been around a few good programs and I’ve seen how they operated, and I wanted to do that with Trinity. I think we can keep building on what we’ve done.”
But no matter the end result on the court, Fowkes never forgets why he took up the job in the first place.
“What made me want to coach was that I love the game of basketball. Being around the kids is fun, and it’s something I grew up liking because of my dad,” he said. “It goes back to being a little kid and watching ‘Big Monday’ on ESPN when Chris Mullen and Patrick Ewing were battling on Monday nights. That’s something most second- and third-graders weren’t doing, but I was doing it with my dad.
“His love of the game trickled down to me, and he coached me growing up.”
His athletes at Trinity can attest for Fowkes’ love of the game, as well as his love for the players he coaches.
“Playing for Fowkes was a different experience than what I had ever had with a coach before,” Trinity senior Jo Zini said. “He made a strong connection with myself and the team, and did a great job of turning us into a family in such a short amount of time.”
Zini said the connection between Fowkes and his squad goes deeper than just a coach, which can be attributed to his passion for the game.
“He mentored us on and off the court, not only as a coach, but as a friend,” Zini said. “Fowkes is one of, if not the best, nominee for the Van Meter award.”
Fowkes’ position as a coach has given him a new community — a new family — to bond with. For that, he says, he is gracious.
“The kids the last two years have been a great group of kids to be around,” Zini said. “When the season’s over, it kind of stinks not being around them every day. It’s like a family, it’s like being around your brothers.”
Despite the bonds, the awards and the growth his team has seen on the court, Fowkes insists he and his team still have only one goal that will fully satisfy them.
“I think it’s great to be recognized for things, and all of this stuff is good for the school and the basketball program, but at the end of the day, we’re going to keep grinding out and focusing on trying to win a state championship,” he said. “Until we do that, that’s what we’re going to be striving for. It’s just a product of hard work. I’m just continuing to try and live the dream.”
