Casey takes over as Head Coach of WC’s basketball team

Heather Casey takes over as the head coach of the Warren Central High School Girl’s Basketball team.

Heather Casey now has her own program after being named Warren Central High School Girls’ Head Basketball Coach. 

Many years in the making

After spending many years as an assistant coach, Casey earned her shot at becoming a head coach.

“I’m excited to take over the program, but it hasn’t hit me yet,” Casey said. “It may not hit me until I’m on the sideline in November, but it feels great.”

Casey, a 2008 Warren Central graduate, played high school basketball under Head Coach Donny Fuller, where the Lady Vikes reached the playoffs on multiple occasions.

“I love the game, and I wasn’t the best player, but I contributed what I could, which was defense, and I did whatever was asked of me,” she added.

Psychology at USM

Casey studied psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi and graduated in 2014. After graduating in December, Casey returned home and attended the Vicksburg vs. Warren Central basketball game, where she ran into WCJHS Coach Latoya Lumpkin and Coach Emfinger, who convinced her to join the staff at the junior high.

In 2017, Casey was promoted to the high school as the ninth-grade head coach, where she remained until tonight when she stepped into her new role. Overall, Casey has served under three head coaches, mentally preparing her to become a head coach.

“I learned a lot from each coach and how programs work,” Casey said. “It’s a lot of work, and it’s more than just the sideline because there’s the managing, the organizing, the girls and the parents, so I’ve learned how to deal with that over the years.”

Try, try again

Just a couple of years ago, Casey applied for the head coaching position, which was vacant at the time, but she wasn’t selected. Two years later, she has her dream job as head coach of her old high school.

“What’s delayed if it’s for you it will not be denied and it feels right on time,” she said.

Coach Casey will have her hands full in the upcoming months as she is now in charge of the program that went winless last season. She has already shown her true dedication to WCHS as she stuck with the Lady Vikes throughout the wins and losses as well as coaching a basketball game the same day her apartment burned down.

Coaching has become a way of life for Casey, and although it wasn’t always in her plans, she has truly earned the right to be named Head Coach.

“I love coaching and I found a paper I wrote from eighth grade and I said that I didn’t know where I wanted to go to school so I would probably just go to USM, and that happened.” I also said I didn’t know what I wanted to be so I would probably teach and coach basketball so I ended up exactly where I needed to be,” Casey said.