By Rubin E. Grant
Elijah Garrison wasn’t uneasy as he embarked on his first season as Homewood’s boys basketball coach, succeeding Tim Shepler.
No one could have blamed him if there had been a tinge of anxiety. Shepler stepped down last spring after 29 years at the helm, leaving Garrison a tough act to follow.
Shepler posted 662 career wins and led the Patriots to the 2016 Class 6A state championship. He also guided Homewood to state runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2010 and led the Patriots to 13 area titles while sending 28 players to the college ranks. Last season, he was voted 2024 OTM Boys Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to a 24-9 record and their first regional final appearance since 2016.
Shepler also hand-picked Garrison as his successor. Garrison came to Homewood three years ago after serving as head coach at New Hope in Madison County. “I think it’s an honor to be his replacement,” Garrison says. “It’s cool that before his retirement he acclimated me to the job and recommended me to get the job. That means a lot to me. It’s special.”
“I don’t think there’s any pressure,” Garrison continues. “I’m extremely thankful for the support we have gotten from our athletic director, our principal, the superintendent, the students and the community. It’s amazing the support we have.”
Two months into his first season, Garrison has led the Patriots to a 13-9 record through the first full week of January. “November and December were a roller coaster,” Garrison says. “We’re not a young team in terms of age, but we’re young in varsity experience. We’ve had to learn how to win close games, prepare for varsity games and practice for varsity games. I’m a first-year head coach at Homewood and also a second-year head coach, so it’s a learning experience for all of us.”
“As we went into Christmas break, we had played some highly ranked teams,” Garrison says. “We played a tough schedule pre-Christmas, so we got some experience quickly.”
The Patriots have gotten contributions from players up and down their roster, something they need to be successful. “Coming into the season, we had three players with experience, Kaleb Carson and Latham Binkley, a Trevecca Nazarene University signee, and Daniel Vinson, who led us in minutes played last season,” Garrison says. “We’ve gotten a couple of surprises, Hayes DeCoudres, our post player, and Drew Susce, who has done a really good job. David Walden has been a spark off the bench, and Charlie Sims has been a threat from the outside.”
“We don’t really rely on one guy to score 30 points, but several to give us eight to 14 points,” he continues. “If we have four, five or six guys do that we’re going to click offensively.”
Homewood split its first two Class 6A, Area 9 games, dropping a close game at home against Minor, 51-49, and pulling out a 61-58 win at Parker. They were scheduled to play area games at Jackson-Olin on Jan. 14 and at Minor on Jan. 17. “Our area is like it’s been the last few years, very competitive,” Garrison says. “Minor does a good job of knowing who they are. With Parker, I think they have the most talented players No. 1 through No. 10. Their talent is what scares you.
“It’s going to be up and down in the area. There are no easy outs.”
Garrison believes the Patriots are in a good position as the regular season winds down.
“I don’t know if we had any expectations before the season,” he says. “We want to be the best version of ourselves. We’ve lost a couple of games we didn’t want to lose, and we’ve won a couple we probably shouldn’t have won. I preach all the time that it’s not the results, but the process of getting better.”
“After beating Parker, we control our own destiny and that’s where we want to be.”
Garrison’s maiden voyage has come under the watchful eye of Shepler. “Coach Shepler has come to just about every home game,” Garrison says. “I ask him questions all the time, and he’s given me his stamp of approval. He told me we’re in a good spot. If someone who has won about 700 games tells you you’re in a good spot, you must be doing all right.”—
