Carmichael Wiley will lead the Lady Bear Basketball program as head coach for the 2024-2025 school year.

Change can sometimes be scary, but when the right person comes in to fill big shoes, things can get exciting. Carmichael Wiley, who was the assistant Lady Bear Basketball coach last year, is taking over as head coach after Eddie Michalko’s retirement. 

Wiley has a history in education, having taught at Yoe High School as a Financial Math and Dual Credit teacher before coming to LCM to be a Special Education Inclusion Teacher. He has many years of experience on the basketball court. 

“Growing up, I played guard for the Orangefield Bobcats,” Wiley said. “I started coaching youth league basketball teams while I was pursuing my undergraduate degree. I eventually became a Women’s Basketball video coordinator intern and a Graduate Assistant coach at Texas Tech University. After Texas Tech, I was an Assistant Coach for Mineral Area College in Missouri. After leaving the college level, I was the Head Coach at Yoe High School. This past year, I was an assistant coach for LCM Girls’ Basketball.” 

Wiley described his first year at LCM as a learning experience and said he enjoyed meeting new people and learning the new roles and responsibilities of being a special education teacher and assistant coach. 

“I enjoyed it so much that I decided to return for round two and start my next year as the head girls basketball coach,” Wiley said. “The current student-athletes are an elite group of student-athletes who are extremely athletic and eager to learn. They have been successful and are accustomed to a winning tradition.” 

Next year, Wiley plans to make changes regarding social media presence, communication within the community, and creating more events related to the student athletes. 

“I want to promote our program and have a great following from the community,” Wiley said. “I plan on having a consistent presence on all our social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and ParentSquare. We want to consistently update the community on the success and learning experiences from our program and student-athletes. I am excited to find new opportunities that will draw in bigger crowds to our home games, like creating theme nights, a ball girl program, and having youth nights for our younger LCMCISD athletes.” 

According to Wiley, some goals he has are competing for a district championship to make UIL playoffs, while developing and striving for growth in each individual student athlete. He wants to create a culture based on family and respect. 

“My primary goal would be to create a positive and supportive environment built on honesty and truth, where student-athletes can develop both athletically and personally,” Wiley said. “I aim to help each student-athlete improve their basketball skills, whether It’s shooting, ball-handling, on-court decision making, or their overall basketball IQ through structured practices, individualized feedback, and skill development.” 

As a coach, Wiley wants to not only be a teacher of basketball, but a role model and a mentor for student-athletes. He wants to be someone who student athletes can turn to for guidance. 

“I want to be someone they can turn to for encouragement and support, both on and off the court,” Wiley said. “I want to see each student-athlete grow and reach their full potential. Basketball is a team sport, and success often depends on the players’ ability to work together towards a common goal. I want to cultivate a sense of camaraderie among the team, emphasizing the importance of communication, trust, and support on and off the court.” 

According to Wiley, he hopes to empower student-athletes to believe in themselves and their abilities, encouraging them to take risks, learn from failures, and bounce back from setbacks with resilience and determination.

“I aim to teach student-athletes the value of integrity, respect, and fair play, both towards their teammates and opponents,” Wiley said. “I want them to be gracious in victory and gracious in defeat.”