Coach Joe Duffield inducts Rob Wylie into the LHHS Athletic Wall of Fame
Rob Wylie was inducted into Lake Highlands High School’s Athletic Wall of Fame at Friday night’s varsity basketball game. The former head coach retired in 2016 after 43 years of coaching and 18 seasons at LHHS. He served longer and had more wins, at more than 300, than any other Wildcat basketball coach in the history of the school.
“Rob Wylie always handled himself with humility, integrity and the utmost character,” said current head coach Joe Duffield at the half court presentation ceremony. “His lasting impact can be seen tonight by so many of his former colleagues and former players in attendance.”
Warren Carter and Rob Wylie
Warren Carter was one of many players who returned to honor Wylie. After graduating as a two-time All-State honoree in 2003, Carter became a standout player at the University of Illinois, earning the Big Ten Medal of Honor during his 2007 season. He played professionally overseas before retiring in 2015.
“Coach Wylie taught me to be patient. He taught me to be coachable and not to fret from the work. He said it’s not going to be easy, and I applied things I learned on the court to life. He was a really good coach, and he’s going on the Wall of Fame for a reason. If it wasn’t for those stepping stones, I would have never been able to play in college. I would have never been able to travel the world and come right back home.”
Drew Solomon, also from the class of 2003, had equally high praise for the coach.
“Wylie was a great guy to be around. He taught the game of basketball really well and could relate to all his players. He really focused on teaching the game. He and Coach Knott, our assistant coach, did a good job of making sure we did stuff right on and off the court. They taught us to be respectful to teachers and respectful to our family members. They wanted to make sure we acted right and learned those kinds of lessons, versus just how to play basketball.”
Jason Parsons graduated in 2000 and returned to raise his own sons in the neighborhood. He says he often recalls nuggets of wisdom Wylie shared with the team and seeks to share it with his own boys at home.
“I wanted to come here tonight and show respect for Coach Wylie and what he did for the game — what he did for Lake Highlands and for the kids. Coach Wylie was so much fun. He loved the game so much. He loved his players, and we had a good time playing for him. I learned basketball plays from him, and I had great life experiences. I still teach my boys today at the third and fourth grade level many lessons that Coach Wylie taught us back then.”
Brian Witt, a 2004 graduate, gathered with a group of former players for dinner before the game to reminisce about the days of playing with Coach Wylie. He was happy to enter the gym and find a big, roaring crowd.
“I’m excited to be here and see him,” Witt said. “It’s been a long time, and this is an opportunity to see him and just support him. Coach Wylie had a ton of passion. He knew the game really well, and he coached with a lot of enthusiasm. He made it very engaging, and he was funny. A lot of times when we would get in trouble, I thought his mannerisms and things he said were comical — he coached with just love and joy for the game.”
Jon Youngblood coached at Newman Smith in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD while Wylie was at LHHS and later at Southlake Carroll. When Wylie served as director of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, Youngblood became his assistant. He was determined to be at the induction ceremony to congratulate his colleague and friend.
“Rob was just kind of the standard, one of the guys I looked up to when I first got into coaching,” he said. “We worked camps together at TABC, and he mentored me along the way. He always had really good teams, well-prepared teams, and he did things the right way. He was always kind and willing to share if you had questions. All of us coaches looked up to him.”
Pulling a quote from the overwhelmingly humble Wylie was like pulling teeth. When asked how it felt to have a gym full of former coaches and players show up on a cold night to honor him, he said he figured there must be lots of people in the neighborhood who like basketball. When he heard that former players were passing his fundamental life lessons along to their own children, he said, “Well, that’s just the right thing to do.”
Wylie said his team faced tough competition during his tenure, and they beat lots of teams no one believed they could hang with. He’s still proud of those wins, but it’s evident he’s prouder still of the men those players have become. His face lit up as each man entered the gym, re-introduced himself and shook the coach’s hand.
“Aside from how to play basketball, I tried to teach them how to treat people and how to behave themselves in class. We just had really good kids. There were a few knuckleheads, but not that many, and Lake Highlands was a good place where you could teach, not just basketball, but teach kids how to behave themselves.”
There’s a special place in heaven for coaches’ wives like Connie Wylie. Over her husband’s 43 years of coaching, she moved from town to town as he accepted various coaching gigs. After they got to know the students and their parents in Lake Highlands, the community and its values, he came home with a pronouncement — “We’re here to stay.”
“Rob had such great experiences here, and I enjoyed my time, as well. Most places, we only stayed about two or three years. Then he got here and said, ‘This is it. There’s great talent here and great parent support and just really great kids.’ And you could see that, tonight. It’s marvelous.”
Rob Wylie with former players
Graduates gathered at half court Friday to honor Rob Wylie.
