Every seat was filled. The crowd spilled into the hallway. Security guards stood nearby. No, this wasn’t a Beyoncé concert. This was Monday night’s school board meeting.

Students, parents and concerned citizens converged at the school district office to protest head basketball coach Mike Lewis’ recent contract nonrenewal and ask for an investigation into the matter.

“I’m honestly very overwhelmed,” Lewis said about the turnout at the meeting. “I had no idea that me being the basketball coach at Lawrence High and the PE teacher at Southwest had such a big impact on the community.”

School board members opened the meeting by explaining that they could not answer questions nor respond to comments but would yield the floor to audience members — all of whom railed against the decision to fire Lewis from his coaching job. He continues to teach at Southwest Middle School.

Toni Brou, mother of sophomore and varsity basketball player Fred Brou, was the first to address the board. Brou described Lewis as a man of “integrity and high moral character.” She said he is a man invested in his players on and off the court, and someone who “brought out the best in people.”

Brou ended her address with a reminder that “our long-term mentors are not disposable.”

The portrayal of Lewis as an upstanding man and outstanding coach was echoed in each testimony.

“He’s an exceptional coach, leader and mentor,” said Sebastian Bonner, father of LHS varsity basketball player, junior Anthony Bonner. “[He] impresses upon his players integrity, scholarship, family, courage and community service.”

It was clear many attendants at the meeting viewed Lewis in high esteem.

In addition to advocating on behalf of the coach and teacher, parents said their attendance was motivated by a desire “to show their children how to stand up against inequities.” After expressing displeasure over these so-called “inequities,” many called for his reinstatement.

Kristin Mallory, a former LHS coach and mother of varsity basketball player, freshman Jackson Mallory, described the dismissal as a “misuse of power.”
“Reconsider this action for our boys, our community and our schools that deserve more coaches like Mike,” Mallory said.
Other parents shared their “devastation” and confusion regarding the situation in which Lewis has said he was unexpectedly reevaluated after an initial, positive review. It was this second evaluation that apparently led the LHS administrators to excuse him from his post. Lewis said he got the call at 7 p.m. on April 21.

“I was informed by our athletic director, Mr. [Bill] DeWitt, and no, I did not see it coming,” Lewis said. “I was surprised.”

When approached by “The Budget” on Tuesday afternoon, DeWitt refused to answer questions. In an interview last week with the “Lawrence Journal World,” he said, “I wanted to make a change.”
“I’m new,” DeWitt told the LJWorld. “I have a new perspective. I consulted with some people I work with. I didn’t go blind into the night, but at the end of the day, this is my decision.”
Lewis said he was told only that, “Lawrence High wanted to go a different direction with the basketball program.”
This “different direction” argument was used as a quip by audience members at the meeting who asked why the school would move in a direction away from a dedicated coach with a 17-5 winning season.

While Lewis guided the players through a victorious season, supporters also credit him with helping players cope with the death of assistant coach Kermit Aldridge earlier this year.

“Coach Aldridge would be devastated that these boys have had their hearts broken twice in two months,” said Lisa Shields, Aldridge’s fianceé.

Whatever the reason for Lewis’ termination, it is an unpopular action in which many of the most vocal opponents are LHS basketball players.

Members of the basketball team prepared and read a collective statement expressing their heartbreak and disappointment over Lewis’s dismissal. One by one, nearly all the varsity basketball players walked to the podium and repeated what would become their mantra of the night:

“I’m a Lion. Mike Lewis is our coach, and we want him back.”

Parents and other students — even some of whom are not affiliated with the basketball program joined in.
With such staggering public protestation, many eagerly await a response from either the school board or school administrators. Lewis, however, seems less hopeful.

“I look at last night’s meeting as something that is an eye-opener to everybody,” Lewis said. “As of now, I don’t think there is a possibility of me coming back.”