Will Bumgarner and Avery Ehrman
Editors-in-Chief
Twenty years later, former state champion and now head coach Mike Russell, makes his return to Bryson Gym for another season of R.J. Reynolds Men’s Basketball. After winning two state championships at RJR during the 2000 and 2001 seasons as a player, Russell was hired this past spring as head coach of the men’s basketball team following Coach Billy Martin’s retirement.
“For any coach, I guess it’s their dream job to come back to their alma mater and coach,” Russell said. “It’s always been a goal of mine to maybe eventually end up here at Reynolds.”
After graduating from RJR in 2001, Russell went on to coach at many schools throughout the area and even became the Lead Developer at CP3 Basketball Academy.
“I think that I’ve made a reputation for myself throughout the community and the city,” Russel said.“I’m one of the better basketball minds and developers out there.”
As Russell begins this new chapter in his career, he looks to his former RJR basketball coach as a source of inspiration.
“Howard Wiss is one of the best coaches to ever walk a sideline in the state of North Carolina,” Russell said. “I was fortunate to have him as a coach. He told us a lot about the game, but he also taught me a lot about how to manage egos. And I think that’s a big part of what we were able to do because we had so many different individual battles throughout the city. So he would always make that point, this isn’t about Mike Russell versus whoever, this is about Reynolds versus West. So, he really helped me take myself out of the equation.”
Wiss’s leadership is something Russell hopes to bring to the program to mirror the success they achieved during those championship years.
“I’m always eager to try to learn different things: things about the game and about myself as a coach,” Russell said. “So, in years to come, I want to just keep getting better.”
Russell hopes to continue to build a program that players naturally gravitate towards, during a time when recruiting is common.
“To be honest, I hope the recruiting phase of what I do is over,” Russell said. “Hopefully people can kind of see the product that we put out on the floor this year, and just kind of be like, ‘okay, I knew Coach Russ was good, but now we see it.’”
While the men’s basketball program has struggled in recent years, RJR’s five state championships and three consecutive titles from 2000-2002 serve as a strong reminder of the rich history of Reynolds basketball.
“It’s the elite brotherhood that we established here,” Russell said. “Nobody else in the state of North Carolina can say that they dominated for pretty much four years straight.”
As the excitement for the upcoming season builds, Russell looks forward to the opportunities ahead.
“I think we’ve got a chance to compete for the conference title this year,” Russell said. “If we can pull that off, I think that’s gonna allow us to hit the ground running and get back to that point.”
Russell wants to elevate the atmosphere inside Bryson Gym to new heights this season. He believes the students are the game changers in creating a competitive environment and making a big shift in the energy surrounding the program.
“I’ve been going around, making sure people are aware of the first game, November 22nd,” Russell said. “I want to sell that out. I want to make sure that that’s the biggest game in the city that night.”
Although the Russell Era at RJR has not officially begun, hopes are high for the upcoming season and the team’s future.
“I’m emotionally invested,” Russell said. “I’m physically invested in getting us back to that point, but I’m gonna need some grace. I’m gonna need a couple of years just to kind of reestablish the culture and make a name for ourselves out here.”