RIVER RIDGE, La. – After being a part of the John Curtis Boy’s Basketball program for 28 years, Head Coach Mike Krajcer decided to step down.
“Coack Krajcer and I met several times and he had expressed to me the desire to move up administratively. He has been coaching for a long time and it’s a grind. It’s a 365 day a year job, so this opportunity opened up for him to move forward but we were not going to do that unless we found the right person,” says John Curtis Headmaster, J.T. Curtis.
That person being William “Bill” Lewit, a national champion and coach of the year on the JUCO level, tallying over 350 wins in 15 seasons.
Lewit became familiar with Louisiana high school basketball as an assistant coach at Division I programs like Northwestern State and the University of New Orleans.
“Just getting a chance to watch the quality of athletics in general, especially in the New Orleans area, but specifically basketball and how hard these guys compete and how well they’re coached and just seeing the pride and the spirit of all of the teams in this area just getting a chance to know the coaches as a recruiter, it almost entices you to come back and be a part of this and being a head coach for a school like John Curtis is really an honor and a tribute and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” says John Curtis Head Boy’s Basketball Coach Bill Lewit.
Lewit’s basketball pedigree alone puts him in a position to be successful in his first season as the Patriots’ coach.
Lewit says, “I think that knowledge and experience, which a lot of coaches have are going to give you a leg up and I just want to be able to help these athletes connect to the next level. Not only to develop them to be a successful high school player, but really instill in them the values and what it takes in terms of competitiveness, skill level and commitment level to excel and get a scholarship at the college level.”
His addition makes for yet another home run hire for John Curtis Basketball.
With the program losing two state championship-caliber coaches in as many months.
Coach Kracjer and Coach Babraba Farris’s tenures show John Curtis’s committment to hiring quality coaches and educators.
“I have always admired the work he has done as a coach, and obviously an educator. The level of consistency and loyalty that he showed to John Curtis was kind of a two-way street. It kind of shows you what a great place this is to work at when a coach wants to stay that long, as well as the administrators, recognize a coach that’s loyal and very successful,” says Lewit.
J.T. Curtis adds, “That’s kind of the environment that we have always created here. My father always wanted people to feel like they were part of the family, and that’s a big thing for us. I think with the departure of Coach Farris and with Coach Krajcer moving up, we want to maintain and continue that mantra as we move through the years to come.”
Lewit is on his way to coach in a basketball tournament in Las Vegas that features 6 teams stacked with NBA alumni.
Once he returns he will begin duties as coach and teacher.
