BOTHELL — Opponents of the Lynnwood girls basketball team might not know it, but they are fighting the law — and more often than not the law wins.
While most high-school coaches are school employees that coach on the side for a stipend, Lynnwood head coach Everett Edwards and strength and conditioning coach Becky Lewis have very different full-time jobs. Both work in law enforcement. Edwards is a detective with the Seattle Police Department and Lewis is a Snohomish County Sheriff.
Their careers are unique and bring a different perspective to coaching that has helped the Royals win five straight league championships, three straight district championships and advance to the Tacoma Dome for the Hardwood Classic for a second consecutive season where they will face West Seattle in the 3A state quarterfinals at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
“I think there is an element of teamwork and trust,” Edwards said of the similarities between basketball and being a police officer. “In law enforcement you are relying on your partner tremendously for your well-being. In basketball you are relying on your partner to talk so you don’t get your head taken off on a screen, so I think there is a level of teamwork and trust that I think is a perfect parallel between law enforcement and athletics.”
There is certainly a lot more on the line for Lewis and Edwards in their jobs than there is in a high school basketball game, but a lot of the same values carry over as Lewis explained.
“One of the things we try to instill in all of our recruits is that there is no option for quitting when it’s a life and death situation,” she said. “The number one rule in law enforcement is to go home at the end of the night. It’s not as dramatic on the basketball court, but there is that element of not quitting. Even if things are a little bit uncomfortable, we’re going to press through.”
The Royals have pressed through a lot. They come into Thursday’s game against the Wildcats with a record of 22-2, but what they have done even more to help them attain such an impressive record is just press.
Much of Lynnwood’s success comes from its pressure defense that it has used all season and seasons prior. With relentless full-court pressure, the Royals wear teams down, create turnovers and score a lot of points in transition.
Behind that success has been Lewis.
In addition to being a sheriff, Lewis is also a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. She’s used a lot of what she’s learned in her training to help prepare the Royals physically and mentally for the demands of applying 32 minutes of pressure game in and game out.
In the fall, Lewis puts the team through voluntary workouts at 6 a.m. before school begins. Each player’s stamina and strength is tested vigorously, but the results make it all worth it.
“It is one of the major key components for our success of being able to run the entire game, not only on defense but on offense as well,” Edwards said. “Being in peak condition and to be able to maintain that is very difficult to do, but there is also a level of physicality with basketball. You have to have a strong core. You have to have strong shoulders, legs and backs. What Becky brings, it legitimizes our philosophy of aggressive defensive pressure and if we can do that the entire game then we’re going to stick with it the entire game.”
Though the workouts are voluntary, Lewis and Edwards say attendance is around 80 percent and very consistent.
Depending on what part of the body the team focuses on, it can make the rest of the day — and the days to follow — grueling.
“The rest of the day, if we do legs, I hate using the stairs, because your legs feel like Jell-o going up them,” senior forward Monty Cooper said. “The next day is even worse because you’re really sore.”
The workout itself is just as challenging. When the players see Lewis, they know they better be ready to work.
“They’re definitely not my best-looking days,” senior guard Dani Hayes said. “You roll out of bed and show up and you’re half asleep when you start and by the end you’re just exhausted. I guess you’re just tired from start to end, but it pays off in the end.”
During the season the Royals don’t do as much training with Lewis because of the recovery time after a workout, but if Edwards sees a long enough break between games in the schedule he will take advantage of the opportunity.
Lewis started training in MMA in 2008. She played basketball in high school, so when she came to Lynnwood as a school resource officer in 2009 she approached Edwards, who didn’t need much convincing, about helping out with the team.
“She had me at hello,” Edwards said, quoting the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire. “Coaching girls basketball is very fun for me. At the same time, there are a lot of things that I can’t relate to because I’m not a female. To have a strong female voice to be heard from our coaching staff was just vital, especially at that point in our program. We needed to have some strength and direction that way from a strong female voice and Becky provided the voice and the physicality behind it.”
Her physicality has helped her to a 3-1 record as a fighter — two of those fights the team has been there to see. After having knee surgery, she hasn’t been able to fight for a year, but is looking forward to the opportunity to do so again soon.
While what Lewis brings to the team obviously helps them physically, Edwards said her contribution to the mental side of the game is even more important.
“It’s more about the mental toughness,” Edwards said. “There are times where we have our talks before the games or at halftime and I look forward to hearing what Becky is going to talk about because it’s something that is typically inspirational and it’s something that’s just what we need to hear regarding the toughness and the mental part of the game because we’ve already put in the hard work physically.”
The Royals success has had a lot to do with the great players that have come through the program, but it started, not coincidently Edwards said, when Lewis arrived.
“I feel really blessed to have Becky be a part of our program,” Edwards said. “She has truly made a difference. The reason we’re having the success we have now is key to when she arrived at Lynnwood High School and when she started working with our kids.
“Becky is my ace up my sleeve. She’s my gold mine and she has just tremendously impacted this program and I’m so happy that she’s with us still now.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
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