Erin Carey returns to Wilson High as the Boys’ Basketball Assistant Coach
The former Wilson girls' team head coach, who stepped down earlier this year, returned to the court earlier this month.
Erin Carey, who led the Wilson High School girls' basketball team to a championship four years ago but resigned earlier this year, accepted the assistant coaching job for the boy's basketball team at the school earlier this month.
Carey said she was apprehensive about taking the job.
"It was just a moment of self-doubt. 'Can I do this?'" she said.
But with encouragement from her wife and friends, Carey accepted the position in early August.
Carey's hesitation was understandable.
When she took on the role of assistant coach for the girls' basketball team at Wilson High back in 2016, she envisioned it as a long-term commitment. But fate had different plans.
That year, the girls' head coach, James Boykin, was promoted to Director of Basketball and became the head coach of the boys' team. This unexpected shift propelled Carey into the head coach position for the girls' team.
It turned out to be exactly what the team needed. In 2020, Carey led the girls to victory in the CIF-SS Division 3A championship, marking the second title in program history and the first since 2000. However, the triumph was bittersweet for Carey.
Despite her success, she earned just $4,533.03 for the entire season. Faced with financial realities and the need to maintain her aerospace job, Carey made the difficult decision to step down from coaching in 2021.
Yet, her passion for coaching, inspiring, and helping young women reach their full potential drew her back to the court in 2022.
"The relationships you build with the kids goes way beyond the sport," she said.
"I know about their boyfriends, their girlfriends. I know if they're nervous about a test. I know about college applications; I'm writing letters of recommendation," she said.
At the high school level, Carey says, coaching is less about strategy and more about teaching life skills. But this dedication came at a significant personal cost.
Post-pandemic, Carey said she noticed a shift in how parents interacted with her, often crossing the boundary between parent and coach. During games, parents would frequently yell at Carey and tell their children to ignore her direction.
While the district only requires students to maintain a 2.0 GPA to be eligible, Carey said she set a higher standard, requiring students to have a C or better in their classes. Although most parents were grateful by the end of the year, she said, many demanded that Carey allow their child to play even if they didn’t meet the academic requirement.
These situations were frustrating, but when parents escalated to personal attacks through text messages, social media, and calls to the administration, something had to be done, she recalled.
Wilson’s administration called a meeting to find common ground. Instead, Carey said the personal attacks continued, making it clear she had to leave. She stepped down in January of this year.
"The things that were said in that parent meeting about me and who I am and what I do, there was no coming back from that," she said.
While her relationship with the players remained strong, Carey felt the parents had undermined her authority, leading to her resignation.
But she remained open to the possibility of coaching again.
"Once it's in your blood, it's in your blood," Carey said. "I don't know if I'll [be] head coach again. I don't know that I want the drama that comes with it."
Her passion was reignited after helping a friend with scouting, film and recruiting for Irvine Valley College. "I miss being in the gym. I miss the kids. I miss the game. So that got the juices flowing," she said.
As she weighed her options, Carey got a call from Boykin. She fondly remembers the conversation: "He said, 'I need a dog. I need your energy, I need your passion.' He told me, 'If Becky Hammon can do it, the Lakers just hired a female, why can't we do it in high school?"
Given that Carey was Boykin's assistant before taking over the girls' team, could history repeat itself, with Carey eventually becoming one of a small handful of women in the country coaching a high school boys' basketball team? Only time will tell.
The Wilson boys' basketball team will tip off their season on Nov. 18, facing St. Anthony at 7 p.m. on their home court.
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