22-year vet takes over basketball program

GONZALES — There’s a new head coach in charge of the girls’ basketball program and he will be bringing in a wealth of knowledge collected over 22 years of coaching.

William Ramsey has been named head coach for not only the girls’ basketball team but both tennis squads in the fall and spring. The new hire has experience with both sports, taking teams to regional tournaments and even state under his tutelage.

“He’s been a head boys’ and girls’ coach before and we felt like he was someone that can take our girls program with knowledge on how to build a program from the ground up to the next level,” Gonzales athletic director Kodi Crane said. “And so, whenever we interviewed him, it was pretty much a no brainer. He was good and he’s going to be good for our girls’ grogram. I’m extremely excited about him.”

Ramsey comes to the Apaches highly recommended, which makes sense for a coach that’s been in this career for that long. Not only does he bring experience to the girls’ program, Ramsey also brings the passion needed to stay motivated for so long in this job.

“Basketball is my love,” Ramsey said. “It’s my number one love. It always has been. That’s why I got into coaching.”

Despite gaining interest on the boys’ side of athletics, specifically football, Ramsey contends that basketball is where he believes his heart is in.

“I’m a basketball coach first,” he said.

Originally from Byer, Texas, Ramsey has experience with both small towns and large towns. The new coach played sports for a 1A school, both basketball and tennis, but then went to Texas Tech out in Lubbock. He married his wife, who has lived in bigger towns, and throughout his career he’s hopped between schools of various sizes.

Coming into Gonzales, Ramsey sees both qualities of a small town and a big town.

“[Gonzales has] got big-town qualities with small-town mentality,” he explained. “Best thing about Gonzales that drew me here is it has the ability to be a big town stuff but the school has a small-town mentality where kids and the coaches really seem to be a close-knit group.”

This is important for Ramsey because he believes multi-sport athletes carry success through each sport.

“I’m used to sharing kids from one sport to the next. For me it’s all about winning begets winning,” Ramsey noted. “Winning carries over.”

For tennis, Ramsey has experience sending several kids in singles, doubles or mixed doubles to the state tournament.

“I’ve got a strong tennis background,” he said. “I got the experience to teach kids the game and how to win.”

Despite tennis being a sport that’s considered “country club,” meaning top players are in tennis year-round, Ramsey believes that you can teach athletes the game and still do well.

“To be successful in high school, if you’re an athlete and you learn to play the game the correct way, you can still be successful,” he claimed.

On the basketball court, Ramsey has taken programs and pushed them to the next level.

“You can look at his resume, at his track record and every place he’s been he’s taken that basketball program up to the next level, wherever they were,” Crane said. “He’s been at programs that were competitive and took them to the playoffs. He’s been to the regional tournament…he’s a really good basketball coach and we’re glad to him.”

Last season, the Lady Apaches made the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season. But with a team full of senior players, a drop off could be expected.

That is, unless you talk to Ramsey about the talent level of this team.

“Coming into this girls’ program, I see we got a young group now and what we got coming up, I’ve already met the freshmen girls and sophomore girls, we have a very good athletic group there” he noted. “The key for me is knowledge of basketball and the way I build fundamentals, I can turn those athletes into basketball players and I think we’ll be successful on that aspect because the girls will buy in to what I do, we’re to get out there and work hard.”

Where Ramsey comes in is his playoff experience. Since he’s been in this position before, Ramsey hopes that he’ll be able to prepare the girls when they step onto the court for the playoffs.

“My 22 years of experience will prepare the girls to not only get into the playoffs but once they’re there, to be prepare to perform,” he said.

The Lady Apaches basketball program has been on the rise. After years of improving under the previous regime, Ramsey hopes to take that this next group of girls and not only continue the success of the Lady Apaches, but elevate them to the next level as well.