MARIETTA, GA – The celebration was a last minute plan, but the moment was years in the making.
As Blythewood High School head basketball coach Zeke Washington entered the team’s makeshift locker room at the Lemon Street Classic tournament on Tuesday, a sneak attack with water bottles ensued. Washington had just secured his 500th career win with a 61-49 topple of Lemon Street.
The moment started in the locker room but ended in the hallway, with Washington’s team surrounding him, emptying their bottles in celebration. It was documented on Twitter by assistant coach Kristin Claiborne.
“500 CAREER WINS,” she wrote. “A legend who will never, ever take credit but who deserves the world. The real ones who have gone to war with/for him know– nobody like him.”
Tweeters echoed his praises in the comments.
Washington arrived at Blythewood for the 2013 season after a five-year stint at Lower Richland. He has notched two state championships in his career, one as head of the girls basketball team at Chester High School (2004) and one as head of the boys’ program at Fairfield Central High School (1998).
According to MaxPreps.com, Washington and his program boasts a 149-82 record since the 2013 season. They have been atop the region twice in nine seasons and finished second four times.