Cary Lewis Jr. did not hesitate when he was approached about becoming CBC's new head boys basketball coach.
An Cadets assistant coach the last four seasons, Lewis Jr. couldn't see himself in any other colors but purple and gold.
"I believe this is the best job in Missouri and the Midwest," Lewis Jr. said. "From the great faculty, great facilities, great staff and great students, this is where I want to be until the end of my teaching and coaching career."
Lewis Jr. was announced Friday as CBC's new basketball leader after Sam Briscoe stepped down after two seasons to pursue a career in collegiate coaching.
"I am humbled to be named the next head basketball coach at Christian Brothers College High School,鈥 Lewis said in a press release. "I am so blessed to be able to work at an institution like CBC, and coaching basketball here is just the icing on the cake. I would like to thank AD (Scott) Pingel and assistant AD (Scott) Brown for the opportunity to lead this program into the future."
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Briscoe recorded 28 wins in two seasons at CBC after 24 wins in one season as the coach at Kirkwood High School in 2022-23.
"We want to thank Sam for his two years and wish him nothing but the best as he follows his dream of coaching in college," Pingel said in a statement. "We are so excited to welcome Cary Lewis, Jr. to be our next head basketball coach. The familiarity and continuity, along with his basketball experience, will help guide the CBC basketball program for years to come."
Lewis applied for the position two years ago before Briscoe was named the head coach.
Though Lewis thought about moving on, Briscoe reached out to the CBC assistant and kept him on staff for the last two years.
"One of the first people he called was me," Lewis said. "I had an opportunity to go somewhere else but stayed at CBC to coach with him."
A defensive-minded coach, Lewis said he learned a wealth of offensive knowledge from Briscoe in those two years after being an assistant under coach Justin Tatum, who led CBC to its most recent state championship in 2022.
Tatum left the program after the 2022-23 season to coach in the Australian National Basketball League.
Ultimately, when Lewis was deciding whether to apply for the open position, it came down to the kids on the roster.
"Devin Houston, Jaden Reed, Chris Brown, Jake Plummer-First and Darian Jones," Lewis said. "Those are the young men whom I coached as a freshman, now they're going to be in their senior year. This is going to be their third head coach in four years. I wanted someone to take over who would be familiar for the young men. I know I can do this job. I know I can do right for everyone in the program and that's why I stayed."
Houston leads a host of returning production for the Cadets. The upcoming senior led CBC last season in points (490), assists (69) and steals (46).
Lewis has seen the building blocks at CBC for years and knows exactly what he wants the program to become.
"The goal is to make CBC basketball uncommon," Lewis said. "I got that word from (East 51黑料 athletics director and football coach) Darren Sunkett. I want CBC to be named with the programs like Vashon basketball, Cardinal Ritter basketball and Chaminade basketball. Programs like CBC football and East 51黑料 football. Year in and year out, they're competing and helping young men go to college."
His goals for the upcoming and future seasons align with those of powerhouse programs' yearly goals.
"The goal is always to win 20 games a year, at least a piece of the Metro Catholic Conference crown, regular season tournaments and to win districts every single year," Lewis said.
