ELIZABETHTOWN — East Bladen honored Patty Evers, their winningest head women’s basketball coach by naming their gym after her.
Coach Evers started from humble beginnings to becoming a legend in the NC high school hoops scene. In 26 years of coaching, she has 13 conference titles, four Eastern Regional championships, and four state runner-ups on her long resume.
Not every coach gets immortalized while still active in the game and the community’s reconnection of her excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed. Since the conception of East Bladen in 2003, her commitment and dedication to her craft have earned her the honors of the court being named after her. Before the big unveiling, the family, friends, colleagues, and former/current players were present Sunday evening to give their best wishes to Coach Evers.
There was a consistency in the words spoken by each guest speaker whether they were former players, family members, or colleagues; they all bought into Coach Evers’ leadership and commitment to always improving. She has gotten many awards over the years for being a winner on the court but her impact on her players’ lives off the court is way bigger. Testaments from the former players of her strong demeanor and the discipline she drilled into her teams were a breakthrough for many of them. The impact of her old-school coaching approach has bred confident young women and future leaders for the past 20 years.
After the best wishes and stories of the memories shared, her current players took to both sides of the court to remove the tarp to unveil the blue letters with “Patty Evers Court” written across the hardwood. Over 500 wins and counting her commitment to her team remains the same.
“As much as this honor is about me, it’s more about the countless hours and hard work these ladies put in to make this program successful over the years,” said Coach Evers.
“You win in life with people and for me, it’s the players, the parents, the administration, the statisticians, the video girls, the managers, my school family, the custodians, the bus drivers, and the list goes on and on,” said Coach Evers. “However if it wasn’t for a mother and father who instilled a strong work ethic, a Christian home, discipline, and love then we would not be here today.”
Coach Evers developed a love for basketball in the 4th grade and her mentors growing up planted the seeds that shaped her into the wise woman she is today. “In our program, we teach life lessons every day, at the end of practice I tell the girls something that will help them grow as individuals,” said Coach Evers. “Coaching on a daily basis is teaching and we have strived to help mold young ladies who are shy and maybe not aggressive into young ladies who can be strong.”
Discipline is what got Coach Evers and the East Bladen Lady Eagles into NC hoop prominence as the journey continues this season. The first game on the newly “Patty Evers Court” will be Friday, November 18th against the East Columbus Gators.
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