During its search for its next head boys basketball coach, the Marion School District zeroed in on three key traits they wanted in that candidate. They wanted someone who brought championship pedigree as a player, and as a coach. With the growth of the school district, they also wanted someone who could oversee player development and forge relationships with families and players through the lower levels, starting before seventh grade. Finally, they wanted someone who has coached on every level, and who knows how to relate to kids of all ages, with the ability to adjust strategy based on talent on the roster in a given year. Enter Sammie Lewis, a five-year assistant with the top-rated Jonesboro High School basketball team, who has also led one of the top AAU programs in east Arkansas for several years. The Marion school board agreed on Thursday night to officially hire Lewis as Marion's new head boys basketball coach, beginning in the 2024-25 school year. “I'm overjoyed about this opportunity and so excited to get started,” said Lewis. “Marion to me is just like Jonesboro. It's a great place to live and raise a family. There's a ton of talent, and the administration is committed to excellence. I'm excited to get down there, meet everyone and started.” Dr. Glen Fenter, Marion superintendent, said Lewis is exactly what the district was looking for in a new leader for the Patriot basketball program. “The minute you talk to Coach Lewis, you find out he’s something different,” Fenter said. “He’s hungry. He’s enthusiastic. He is bringing the championship pedigree we are looking for here at Marion. We believe he will infuse our program with an energy that will bring about great results. Coach Swift and the Jonesboro basketball program have long been the standard of excellence in our state that we aspire to emulate, and we believe that Coach Lewis with his background, experience, and integrity is prepared to lead us toward that goal. We are confident that he will inspire our students to great things, both on and off the court.” Lewis, a native of Jonesboro, truly fit every box that Marion had while conducting this search. For starters, Lewis was a standout guard for excellent Jonesboro teams that played for three straight state championships, including the 2014 Class 6A state crown. Check. While he was in college at Arkansas State, Lewis dipped his toes into the AAU circuit as a coach and skills trainer for “Earned Not Given,” an AAU club that had players from fourth grade up through senior high. A few years later, Lewis founded and coached “Sammie Lewis Elite” (SLE), guiding that club to Grassroots, Show Me Showcase, and Bad Boys Mowers championships, and a handful of other deep tournament runs. Check, check. “We were so lucky to have some great groups and a lot of success with AAU,” said Lewis. “Our kids worked hard, they loved playing, and we had great parents. It was a great situation to be in as a coach.” Lewis's success running his AAU teams quickly captured the attention of legendary Jonesboro head coach Wes Swift, who coached Lewis at Jonesboro High. “I wasn't really sure that I even necessarily wanted to teach and coach at the time,” said Lewis. “But Coach Swift talked to me and convinced me to give it a shot, coaching seventh grade basketball. I wasn't sure what kind of impact I would have on the kids.” His impact was immediate. Lewis's first team at Jonesboro MacArthur Junior High finished with a dazzling 25-1 overall record and regular-season and tournament district titles. That season catapulted Lewis onto the Jonesboro varsity staff the following year (2020-21), where he served as one of Swift's assistant coaches and head coach of the Golden Hurricane junior varsity. Lewis's JV teams recorded winning records each of the past four seasons, and his players quickly promoted to the varsity roster ready to contribute to a winning program. On the varsity side, Jonesboro stormed to three straight state championships (2021, 2022, 2023) and a pair of conference titles (2021 and 2022) in Lewis's first three years on the varsity staff. “Having an opportunity to be around Coach Swift every day for the last four years has been an experience that you can't replicate,” said Lewis. “I knew he was a great coach when I played for him, but now being a coach myself, I see why he's so good. We have been blessed with some excellent kids through the years, and then seeing how Coach Swift gets the most out of them is really something to see.” “As sad as we are for Coach Lewis to leave us, but we are equally as excited for him to be head coach at Marion,” said Swift. “He's been around a winning culture for a long time now. He knows what it looks like, he knows what goes into it, and now he gets to lead a proud program with incredible talent. It's a match made in Heaven.” Lewis takes over a Marion program that has earned a reputation as one of the state's top programs over the past six years in its own right. The Patriots have averaged more than 23 wins per season since 2018, two appearances in the state finals, including the 2019 Class 5A state title. “There's never been a question about the talent level with Marion basketball,” said Lewis. “What I can clearly see to my eyes is that the culture is here, the people in charge care about this program and want to do things the right way. We are going to hold kids accountable in this program, and get them to buy in to our plan as coaches. Our goal is to compete and win at the highest level, and that takes discipline, talent, and sacrifice. You start with winning smaller goals, and then when you stack those accomplishments, you start accomplishing the bigger goals.” Lewis's vision for Marion basketball involves starting basketball leagues beginning in the lower grades, to foster a competitive environment, strengthen relationships, and develop skills earlier. “Just getting kids out there, playing together, having fun, that's what it's all about,” said Lewis. “You don't know what a kid will look like or how they'll grow, but what you can do is get a young person interested and able to fall in love with the game as early as possible.”