Stallions reach 100 wins in midst of historic start

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Banning Lewis boys’ basketball team has now reached 100 wins in its history–all of them have been with Wes McKenzie as the head coach.

“We’ve come a long way and it’s been a, it’s been a long journey,” McKenzie said.

Building the program from the ground up, McKenzie and Tevin Holt have worked over the past nine years to get the Stallions up to CHSAA competition.

“We did two years of sub varsity when we just had freshmen and sophomores and competed against anybody that would give us a game,” McKenzie said.

While teaching the fundamentals, both coaches have also focused on instilling the values that each of their players is held to today.

“We always use the three C’s: commit, confront, compete,” McKenzie said.

All the hard work combined with the right group of kids has led to success in recent seasons, including this winter where Banning Lewis is off to a 13-0 start as of Friday, which is the best in program history.

“I think that’s what makes this team so special, is that we have guys who have come up through the program and have developed over the years,” McKenzie said. “They know what we expect, the non-negotiables, and they know what it means to be a Stallion.”

But the players say coach McKenzie is a crucial part of the formula too.

“He’s taught me everything about basketball, and he’s helped me in my development; most of it comes from him,” said senior guard Matthew Lebron.

Each game, the energy from the Stallion student section has grown, and the expectations have risen as well. But coach McKenzie and his players are still focused on the process of getting to where they want to be in March.

“We know we’ve got a bigger goal and we all know that, but we also have to focus on what’s in front of us first,” said senior point guard Zander Muna.

McKenzie is not afraid of speaking about the goal and the work it takes to reach new horizons.

“The ultimate goal is a state championship, and we don’t shy away from that word,” McKenzie said.

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