Wednesday, February 5, 1997

Sweetwater's Carmichael finds 400 wins sweet

By MARK WILSON / Sports Writer

SWEETWATER - C.E. Carmichael's first response concerning the matter of reaching 400 victories as a basketball coach was an attempt to downplay the feat.

"It means you're getting old, don't it," the Sweetwater girls coach asked rhetorically.

Carmichael, who noted that he is expecting to become a grandad in about three weeks, is only 49.

And he insists he won't turn 50 for a very, very, very long time.

In 19 seasons as a high school coach, Carmichael's teams have claimed nine district titles and posted a record of 406-212.

His 400th win, 63-38 over Pecos, came on Jan. 4, and his players presented him with a quick surprise party and commemorative plaque.

"I appreciated it," said Carmichael, who wasn't eager to publicize his accomplishment. "This group of girls we have this year have worked hard, and in many ways overachieved."

The Lady Mustangs went on to become Carmichael's 12th career playoff team with a 43-34 win over Fort Stockton Jan. 28. Sweetwater (19-11) tied for second with Andrews (at 10-2) behind Snyder. A coin flip determined Sweetwater would take on El Paso Parkland in bi-district at 7 p.m. Thursday in Fort Stockton.

The current group of players have made this season special - and pleasant.

"It was nice to get 400 wins while coaching these kids," said Carmichael, a Brownwood native who graduated from Texas Tech. "The last two years, we've had three girls who moved off who are now starting at other schools. This group has just worked themselves to the point that we have a good basketball team.

"We've had other people step up. Our best basketball is in front of us. We've won 19 games with a young team. The coaches and players at Sweetwater are beginning to see their work pay off."

The starting five for the Lady Mustangs consists of one freshman, one sophomore and three juniors. The leading scorer among the juniors is 5-5 point guard Lindsay Lepard, averaging just under 10 points a game.

Vanessa Lehrmann is a 5-11 sophomore post who is already turning some heads. She averaged a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds a game in district.

Carmichael's first five seasons were as the boys head coach at Lubbock High (1974-78) - the formative years for the coach, taking on many strong teams in the panhandle region.

"I was 25 years old. I'm not sure I was ready for the job," Carmichael said. "I had to take a lot of beatings, or learn how to survive. It was a crash course in learning basketball. That helped me more than anything."

After four years out of coaching while running a restaurant in Gainesville, Carmichael had a four-year stint leading the Cross Plains boys and girls teams. Since then, he has only coached girls teams - at Big Spring four years and Stephenville five years before moving to Sweetwater.

"Some of the losses I still remember very clearly," Carmichael said. "I feel like I learn more from the losses. I think I don't forget what causes the loss."

His most successful playoff run was in 1991, when his Stephenville girls made it to the regional final before falling to Levelland.

"They beat us late in the game," he said. "That's as close as I've ever come to making it to Austin."

Thoughts of taking a team to the state tournament are in the back of his mind. But even if he never makes it, that can't erase his accomplishments.

"That does not make or break me as a coach," Carmichael said. "The day-to-day work and seeing progress and enjoying wins as I go along is a whole lot more important. Still, I'd like to have a chance to experience that."

Carmichael's Lady Mustangs went from six wins in 1994-95 to 16 last year, and have a shot at notching their 20th win this season on Thursday. He wants his team to continue improving, and he thinks that will happen with help from another promising group of younger players on the way.

"I think we've got a chance to compete with the good schools in West Texas," Carmichael said. "I'm not going to be satisfied until we can. That's what my goal is, in the back of my mind. As long as we do that, I feel good about going back to school the next day."

Carmichael didn't play for Texas Tech, but he was a member of the last Brownwood team to reach the state tournament, in 1965. He and his Lion teammates lost in the semifinals to Waxahachie.

In the past, C.E. has been referred to as "Jimmy Carmichael's brother" because his younger sibling quarterbacked Brownwood to the 1969 Class 4A state championship. Jimmy was voted the state's player of the year, and went on to play quarterback for Texas Tech.

For now, at least, Jimmy will settle for being known as "C.E. Carmichael's brother."