Back in December: “Chris Ewell, A Rising Star”
Back in December, we wrote an article titled “Chris Ewell, A Rising Star.” At the time, one of the biggest questions in high school basketball circles was simple: Where will the next wave of young coaches come from?
Fortunately, one of the brightest rising stars in the profession was right in our own backyard.
At just 29 years old, Coach Chris Ewell had quickly established himself as one of the most promising young coaches in North Carolina, taking over the boys’ basketball program at West Mecklenburg High School. When that article was written, West Mecklenburg sat at 3–3 — competitive, improved, but still very much a work in progress.
No one could have predicted what would come next.
Worst to First
To say Coach Chris embraces challenges would be an understatement.
When he accepted the head coaching position for the 2025–26 season at West Mecklenburg, he inherited one of the toughest rebuilding jobs in the state. The program had finished the 2024–25 season 0–25, after going just 7–17 the year prior. Historically overshadowed by powerhouse rival West Charlotte High School, West Meck had struggled to find consistency and sustained success.
Fast forward to today:
- 15–8 overall record
- 7–2 conference record
- Eight-game winning streak
- A 66–56 overtime win over South Mecklenburg
- A chance to finish 8–2 in conference play
With a home win over Garinger, West Mecklenburg would secure a first-place tie with Myers Park. Having defeated Myers Park twice, West Meck would own the tiebreaker and be crowned Greater Charlotte 7A/8A Conference Champions.
From 0–25 to conference championship contention in one year.
That’s not improvement.
That’s transformation.
Poised. Mature Beyond His Years.
West Mecklenburg hasn’t relied on a single superstar. There’s no household name carrying the load. Instead, Coach Chris has built something far more powerful — belief.
Earlier this season, when asked by Talking Prep co-member Richard Walker what the team’s goal was, Coach Chris didn’t hesitate:
“To win the conference.”
Big goal.
Big dream.
And very few outside of that locker room believed it.
Truthfully, even inside the program, belief likely took time. But culture shifts don’t happen overnight — they happen through daily accountability, structure, and leadership.
From day one, Coach Chris:
- Demanded accountability
- Established a new standard
- Changed the culture
- Built confidence in an undersized roster
- Defeated more talented opponents through discipline and execution
No one — not myself, not Coach Chris, not even the program — could have realistically forecasted this level of success in Year One.
Yet here they are.
Leading by Example
For a 29-year-old coach, Coach Chris leads with remarkable composure.
He coaches hard — but respectfully.
He makes his point with officials — then moves on.
He refuses to make excuses.
In today’s culture, where sideline theatrics often dominate attention, Coach Chris operates differently.
You’ll often hear him tell his players:
“Next play.”
That phrase says everything.
Players mirror their coach. If a coach panics, complains, or loses control, the team follows. West Mecklenburg has instead become an extension of Coach Chris’s poise and maturity. Even in tight games — and they’ve won plenty of them — there’s no panic. No unraveling. Just belief.
When his players glance at the sideline, they see confidence.
They see calm.
They see someone who believes they can come back from a deficit and finish the job.
The Biggest Turnaround in the State
There’s no sugarcoating what this rebuild required. This wasn’t a roster tweak. This wasn’t inheriting talent ready to win. This was a complete culture reset in one of the most challenging situations in North Carolina high school basketball.
And it worked.
West Mecklenburg has experienced arguably the biggest turnaround of any program in the state this season.
Credit also belongs to West Mecklenburg Athletic Director Ryan Lutz, who had the bold vision to hire a young, promising coach and entrust him with the future of the program.
From Rising Star to Program Builder
Back in December, we called him a rising star.
Today?
He’s proven he’s a culture builder. A program builder. A leader mature well beyond his years.
Worst to first.
And this may just be the beginning.