Vlazny takes reins for Cowboys
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
Greg Vlazny couldn’t pass on the job again — it’s one that has meant so much to him for so long.For over a decade, he has played a big part in building Southwest Guilford boys basketball into a state championship-caliber program. And he stepped away for a few months while to pursue other avenues.But when the opportunity arose for the second time to take over for head coach Guy Shavers, who stepped down after 14 seasons during which the Cowboys won two state titles in his fi nal three years, Vlazny decided to go for it.
“I’m excited,” he said this week after a summer workout at the school. “I know it’s going to be a challenge, but I really am excited. Being with Guy for 12 years, for at least eight of those years he said I was ready and that I should be the head coach somewhere. But I loved where I was at here.
“Guy and I talked yesterday — he called to ask one question and we ended up talking for an hour; that’s how our relationship is,” he said with a laugh. “But one thing we agreed on was that I wasn’t the typical assistant coach. He allowed me to have a lot of responsibility, and I feel like I’m more prepared.”
Vlazny, who was in the first graduating class at Cary Academy, played basketball and one spring season on the soccer team at UNCG — where Shavers also played basketball — before coming to Southwest as an English teacher and joining Shavers as an assistant.He knew since he was a kid that he wanted to teach and coach. And joining Shavers near the beginning of his tenure at Southwest was challenging, but it also provided him the perfect opportunity to grow and learn with the program o where he can now confidently take the reins.
“I’ve seen where we came from,” said Vlazny, who returns to the school as an Occupational Course of Study teacher. “There were a lot of nights that first year that, by the time I’d get home and lie in bed, I’d think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ It’s really, really neat because my wife has seen the change in the program.“Those first couple years, her first question was: ‘How bad did you lose?’ And the last several years, it’s been: ‘Running clock?’ It’s been a big step. So, it means a lot to be familiar with where we’ve come from and where we’re at now and tr y to maintain that.”
The news that Brandon Mullis, who was hired in April but arrested in early July for having an inappropriate relationship with a student, would no longer be boys basketball coach was a shock. Vlazny knew someone should be available to the team, first and foremost, so he offered to help.Then, as focus shifted toward hiring a new coach, he thought more about the opportunity the situation presented. He had decided to leave Southwest at the beginning of the year and become the sports director at the Jamestown Youth League — which was a great change, he said, and he loved his new job.But Southwest basketball has been a part of him for so many years.
“I talked with my wife on the phone, and the first thing she said after her initial reaction was: ‘You know you want it, right?’ ” Vlazny said. “That’s when the quiet voice in my head got really loud — ‘Yeah, this is the time.’ I’m a loyal person by nature, and I was conflicted.
“I wanted to be loyal to the program. What the kids in the building don’t remember is that, when I first started here 12 years ago, we were terrible. We were 3-21 — we were bad. So, I wanted to be loyal to here, but I also wanted to be loyal to my new job. So, I felt really conflicted.
“I told her, ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’ But she said, ‘Well, we can pray about it.’ So, she allowed me some time to pray about it. And I wanted to respect the school and their situation — we didn’t want to leave this hanging.
So, I spoke to my dad, read Scriptures and realized: ‘Yeah, this was the right call.’ ”Of course, there will be some small tweaks, but Vlazny doesn’t expect much to change. Many of the hallmarks of the Southwest program over the last decade — like defense and running the floor — will continue. That makes sense, considering how much Shavers trusted him to help shape the team.
“The first thing I told (the players) was that I’m pretty much going to keep ever ything the same,” he said. “If it’s been successful for a decade, why change it? Guy and I have put a lot of time and energy into building this machine. The pieces may change, but the machine will still work if people buy into it.
“So, I plan on changing ver y little. A minor tweak here or there might come into play. I don’t foresee a whole lot of change. And, honestly, it ties back into the responsibility Guy let me have.”For the school, it was an easy decision.
When Shavers stepped down in the spring, athletic director Brindon Christman spoke with Vlazny about taking the job but, at the same time, understood where he was at that time — with a new job and needing some time away.But when they were again looking for a coach, Vlazny — who is married to wife Brisa and father to children Caden, Brielle, Nolan and Lincoln — was the logical person to call.
“Things happen for a reason sometimes,” Christman said. “Greg’s been here 12 years. So, when you have a guy like that invested in your school and your program, it just makes you ver y comfortable. The kids know him, and we know him, and it’s just worked out great. It’s the perfect fit for us.
“I reached out to him the first time, and the unfortunate part for us was that he’d already taken the job at JYL. And he just told me that he didn’t feel comfortable leaving after taking that job and coming back so quickly. But the first thing I thought of when the job opened again was reaching back out to him.
“It was within 24 hours — just to say, ‘Hey, where do you stand on this deal?’ It was over one of the dead periods, so there were a couple days of hanging around. And the following week he came in, we had a job for him, and it was the right time for him and the right time for us. It just worked out perfectly.”
This next season will present its own challenges. A few players from last year’s 3A state championship team will remain, but many have moved on. At the moment, the challenge is getting a coaching staff together. Then, they’ll get to work on continuing to build on what the program has already established
.“I’m excited — I really am,” Vlazny said. “I couldn’t tell you in the last 13 years how excited I am to be up here at the school at the end of July and getting stuff done. We definitely have an uphill battle. With ever ything we lost and where we’ve been as a program the last 10 years, now we have a target on our back and people are going to tr y to kick us while we’re down.
“My message consistently throughout the year and especially this preseason is: We’ve got to double and triple our effort if we want to stay where we are. We’re going to get absolutely everyone’s best game ever y single night, because of how successful we’ve been the last 10 years. We’ve been one of the better programs in the state the last 10 years — not just the last couple seasons.
“So, in order to maintain that, you’ve got to work even harder. ... I’m thrilled, and for me it’s a win-win because, with all that we lose, most people are going to think we’re not going to do anything. So, if we buy into the machine that’s still here and we can be competitive and we can be successful, then that’s a great season.”
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
Greg Vlazny couldn’t pass on the job again — it’s one that has meant so much to him for so long.For over a decade, he has played a big part in building Southwest Guilford boys basketball into a state championship-caliber program. And he stepped away for a few months while to pursue other avenues.But when the opportunity arose for the second time to take over for head coach Guy Shavers, who stepped down after 14 seasons during which the Cowboys won two state titles in his fi nal three years, Vlazny decided to go for it.
“I’m excited,” he said this week after a summer workout at the school. “I know it’s going to be a challenge, but I really am excited. Being with Guy for 12 years, for at least eight of those years he said I was ready and that I should be the head coach somewhere. But I loved where I was at here.
“Guy and I talked yesterday — he called to ask one question and we ended up talking for an hour; that’s how our relationship is,” he said with a laugh. “But one thing we agreed on was that I wasn’t the typical assistant coach. He allowed me to have a lot of responsibility, and I feel like I’m more prepared.”
Vlazny, who was in the first graduating class at Cary Academy, played basketball and one spring season on the soccer team at UNCG — where Shavers also played basketball — before coming to Southwest as an English teacher and joining Shavers as an assistant.He knew since he was a kid that he wanted to teach and coach. And joining Shavers near the beginning of his tenure at Southwest was challenging, but it also provided him the perfect opportunity to grow and learn with the program o where he can now confidently take the reins.
“I’ve seen where we came from,” said Vlazny, who returns to the school as an Occupational Course of Study teacher. “There were a lot of nights that first year that, by the time I’d get home and lie in bed, I’d think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ It’s really, really neat because my wife has seen the change in the program.“Those first couple years, her first question was: ‘How bad did you lose?’ And the last several years, it’s been: ‘Running clock?’ It’s been a big step. So, it means a lot to be familiar with where we’ve come from and where we’re at now and tr y to maintain that.”
The news that Brandon Mullis, who was hired in April but arrested in early July for having an inappropriate relationship with a student, would no longer be boys basketball coach was a shock. Vlazny knew someone should be available to the team, first and foremost, so he offered to help.Then, as focus shifted toward hiring a new coach, he thought more about the opportunity the situation presented. He had decided to leave Southwest at the beginning of the year and become the sports director at the Jamestown Youth League — which was a great change, he said, and he loved his new job.But Southwest basketball has been a part of him for so many years.
“I talked with my wife on the phone, and the first thing she said after her initial reaction was: ‘You know you want it, right?’ ” Vlazny said. “That’s when the quiet voice in my head got really loud — ‘Yeah, this is the time.’ I’m a loyal person by nature, and I was conflicted.
“I wanted to be loyal to the program. What the kids in the building don’t remember is that, when I first started here 12 years ago, we were terrible. We were 3-21 — we were bad. So, I wanted to be loyal to here, but I also wanted to be loyal to my new job. So, I felt really conflicted.
“I told her, ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’ But she said, ‘Well, we can pray about it.’ So, she allowed me some time to pray about it. And I wanted to respect the school and their situation — we didn’t want to leave this hanging.
So, I spoke to my dad, read Scriptures and realized: ‘Yeah, this was the right call.’ ”Of course, there will be some small tweaks, but Vlazny doesn’t expect much to change. Many of the hallmarks of the Southwest program over the last decade — like defense and running the floor — will continue. That makes sense, considering how much Shavers trusted him to help shape the team.
“The first thing I told (the players) was that I’m pretty much going to keep ever ything the same,” he said. “If it’s been successful for a decade, why change it? Guy and I have put a lot of time and energy into building this machine. The pieces may change, but the machine will still work if people buy into it.
“So, I plan on changing ver y little. A minor tweak here or there might come into play. I don’t foresee a whole lot of change. And, honestly, it ties back into the responsibility Guy let me have.”For the school, it was an easy decision.
When Shavers stepped down in the spring, athletic director Brindon Christman spoke with Vlazny about taking the job but, at the same time, understood where he was at that time — with a new job and needing some time away.But when they were again looking for a coach, Vlazny — who is married to wife Brisa and father to children Caden, Brielle, Nolan and Lincoln — was the logical person to call.
“Things happen for a reason sometimes,” Christman said. “Greg’s been here 12 years. So, when you have a guy like that invested in your school and your program, it just makes you ver y comfortable. The kids know him, and we know him, and it’s just worked out great. It’s the perfect fit for us.
“I reached out to him the first time, and the unfortunate part for us was that he’d already taken the job at JYL. And he just told me that he didn’t feel comfortable leaving after taking that job and coming back so quickly. But the first thing I thought of when the job opened again was reaching back out to him.
“It was within 24 hours — just to say, ‘Hey, where do you stand on this deal?’ It was over one of the dead periods, so there were a couple days of hanging around. And the following week he came in, we had a job for him, and it was the right time for him and the right time for us. It just worked out perfectly.”
This next season will present its own challenges. A few players from last year’s 3A state championship team will remain, but many have moved on. At the moment, the challenge is getting a coaching staff together. Then, they’ll get to work on continuing to build on what the program has already established
.“I’m excited — I really am,” Vlazny said. “I couldn’t tell you in the last 13 years how excited I am to be up here at the school at the end of July and getting stuff done. We definitely have an uphill battle. With ever ything we lost and where we’ve been as a program the last 10 years, now we have a target on our back and people are going to tr y to kick us while we’re down.
“My message consistently throughout the year and especially this preseason is: We’ve got to double and triple our effort if we want to stay where we are. We’re going to get absolutely everyone’s best game ever y single night, because of how successful we’ve been the last 10 years. We’ve been one of the better programs in the state the last 10 years — not just the last couple seasons.
“So, in order to maintain that, you’ve got to work even harder. ... I’m thrilled, and for me it’s a win-win because, with all that we lose, most people are going to think we’re not going to do anything. So, if we buy into the machine that’s still here and we can be competitive and we can be successful, then that’s a great season.”
