Going into halftime, the Kings, a fifth and sixth-grade Southport Youth Basketball League  (SYBL) team, were down 23-14 at the half. Assistant coach Donovan Brewer, a senior, recalls a parent in the crowd asking, ‘Where is the energy?’ 

As the fourth quarter started, Brewer’s yelling on the bench had increased significantly since halftime. This sparked the team’s energy, resulting in one of his players hitting a corner three to cut the lead to 27-23.

“I think in the first half everything was kinda slow …” Brewer said. “That’s why I tried to start yelling on the bench in the second half.” 

While the Kings couldn’t pull off the comeback, this would be a learning lesson for Brewer. With the words, ‘Coach Brewer,’ worn on his back, he knew this was his calling.

Brewer’s philosophy surrounding energy and positivity has defined him as a coach and a player.

“I always wanted to be a coach,” Brewer said. “That’s my dream job, to be a head coach.”  

Unlike his high school teammates, Brewer has been in the Southport basketball program since first grade. Similarly to his current players making him a lifelong Cardinal.

When Brewer was little, he remembers his coaches being hard on him and his teammates. Contrary to today, Brewer as a coach is more energetic, and he is easier on his team. 

Initially, he thought he was going to see himself in his players. Brewer says he was a small, not talented kid, but now his players are more skilled than he was at that age.

“I thought the kids weren’t gonna be that great, but we are actually pretty good,” Brewer said. “It changed the way I thought the team was gonna be.” 

This year is Brewer’s first year coaching ever. He believes starting off working with young kids will help him develop his coaching skills and get a feel for coaching overall. 

While coaching at the youth school level, there isn’t much strategizing compared to a high school varsity game, so Brewer’s role as an assistant is to help develop the players and be a hype man for his team.

“It’s just fun to see them get better, you know, because there are kids who couldn’t dribble or score,” Brewer said. “It’s fun seeing them develop well.”

Coaching next to Brewer is an eighth-year coach for SYBL, Austin Taylor. He has known Brewer ever since he was little. They’ve created a bond that has made them better coaches.  

“I like the way he approaches practice and games. We talk to one another during the games to see what we need to do,” Taylor said. “I think he is a good motivator and a good encourager. I think that will help him become a high school coach.”

Taylor also believes Brewer’s competitiveness and love for basketball will take him far in his potential coaching career. Brewer can be found during his SYBL practices playing his players one-on-one and spiking his players’ competitiveness. 

While on the bench, Brewer is always lifting his players. After a missed shot or bad turnover, he is the first one encouraging his players to keep their heads up.  

Whenever Brewer is coaching his team, his main goal is to have energy and make the game of basketball fun. He is a believer that positivity can spread, and he is always yelling and clapping during the games. 

“At a younger age, you can’t really teach energy and positivity. It’s more of they have to learn it on their own,” Brewer said.  

Out of all the coaches in the SYBL, Brewer is the only high school student. This gives him a different relationship with his players.  

“I love having a senior coach. He’s amazing,” Kobe Waters, a player, said. “He’s cool (and) he’s fun.” 

In Taylor’s eyes, Brewer is a positive high school athlete that the players can look up to and is a role model. He believes Brewer is growing and promoting Southport basketball.  

Ben Danner, director of SYBL has known Brewer since elementary school. He says he loves that Brewer is a part of the SYBL.

“He really is exactly what we wanna do … : grow these kids and become the future of Southport High School basketball players,” Danner said. 

Meanwhile, Brewer says his role as a current member of the basketball team, is learning how to improve his game to help him become a better coach.  

This season, Brewer has taken a step back in his playing career. Compared to last year, Brewer is averaging fewer minutes and less points. His points have dropped from 6.1 to 1.8 as of Dec. 17.  

According to Brewer, he not receiving the amount of minutes he thought he was going to get this season, this gives him something to work on. He wants to learn how to be mentally tough. 

He has found other ways to impact the game on the bench. Similarly to when he coaches, he is a motivator for his team. Brewer is the first one off the bench, high-fiving and being an energy spark.  

Despite the fact Brewer would like more playing time, he hasn’t taken it to heart and continues to learn and get better every day. Not just as a coach but as a player.  

“He was always the first one in the gym, the last one to leave, asking a lot of questions, a leader, (and) just making the right plays every time,” varsity assistant Alex Kriese said.  

Brewer says he admires how Kriese can push his players and get the most effort out of them. Something Brewer wants to do in the future as a coach.

Coincidentally, Kriese encouraged Brewer to coach a SYBL team. He believes that by doing this, Brewer can start developing his coaching skills and figure out if coaching is his calling. 

“He’s been one of my favorite kids to coach over the last how many years I’ve been around him,” Kriese said. “Great kid. Wherever playing takes him, he’s gonna do great things, and he’s one of those kids … that has a really, really bright future with coaching.”

The future for Brewer isn’t set, but he wants to play basketball at the next level. Currently, he has gotten interest from Anderson University. He also wants to study to get an education degree to become a teacher eventually.  

Brewer wants to go the teaching route, landing a job at a high school and then being hired as a head coach. If things go well, he wants to coach at the collegiate level.  

If Brewer becomes a coach, he believes his philosophy surrounding energy and positivity won’t change. It has defined the way Brewer plays and coaches, so he would like to continue his approach.  

“He (Kriese) thinks that being a coach is hard, but he thinks that I can do it,” Brewer said.