LAWTON, Okla.–Craig Foster remembers the feeling of leading Lawton High Wolverines to the State Basketball Tournament as a player in 2009, and now, as a member of the coaching staff, he and his players are just two games away from winning their first state championship in 63 years.
The rambunctious Wolverines (23-3) have remained unstoppable during the 2024-2025 season as they surprise people across Oklahoma with a 9-game winning streak going into Thursday’s semifinal game against Tulsa Memorial (26-4).
“I don’t really feel like there’s a team that can beat us, except for us,” Coach Foster told the Black Wall Street Times in a phone interview Tuesday.
Fresh off their win Monday against Tulsa’s East Central Cardinals, Coach Craig Foster previewed the advice he and the other coaches plan to give his players. He calls them his little brothers.
“Go out there, play with reckless behavior, man, and play defense, live with the results, as long as we continue to have fun and love on each other,” he said.
The Wolverines have quickly gained the respect of communities across Oklahoma on their mission to take state and represent a zip code sometimes referred to as the “Shady 580.”
Lawton High Wolverines inch toward Basketball State Championship
The Lawton High Wolverines have only lost three basketball games this year, building on a legacy that has grown each year since Craig Foster joined the coach staff a few years ago.
No stranger to the court, Foster led the Wolverines to an area championship in 2009 and became a Division II all-American on Lawton’s Cameron University Aggies. The former point guard also became a professional baller for Canada’s National Basketball League at St. John Riptide.
“I told the boys last game, I said I used to go in the gym, look up at them banners and see 1962,” Foster said, referring to the last time the Wolverines took state. “Like, man, I gotta change that.” Going from a player to a coach, Foster said he realized his dream of winning state can still become a reality.
“My grandma and my mom always told me, like, it’s not your plans, it’s God’s plan. So maybe me as a player, not winning that state championship was a part of the story to come, to now to change that narrative in 1962. So, I always say it’s on God’s time and not yours.”
“It’s still something empty in my heart that I gotta fulfill”
Ultimately, win or lose, Coach Foster wants the state to recognize the work his fellow coaches and players have put in to make it this far.
“I don’t think nobody understands how much work we have really put in, running hills, mountains, workouts, just seeing all of it coming to full circle, it’s a true blessing,” he said.
With a style focused “love and serving with a purpose,” Coach Foster wants his team to stand as a positive example of what Lawton represents.
“We can have fun. We love each other, bro. Everybody supports each other. Coming from Lawton, we’ve always been divided. So, I hope this can bring us together in a better way to where Lawton can win, Lawton can come together and Lawton does have a chance,” Foster said.
For Foster and the coaches of Lawton High Wolverines, their players have already proven their winners, but before the first dribble breaks the silence on the court Thursday night, the entire community of Lawton envisions a new championship banner to join the old one.
“Just seeing it as a player, playing and seeing that banner, our coaches are still looking at that banner. It’s still something empty in my heart that I gotta fulfill,” Coach Foster said.
The Lawton High Wolverines face Tulsa Memorial Chargers Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m. inside Yukon High School. The winner will head to the championship game Saturday, March 15.
Editor’s Note: This author is a 2011 graduate of Lawton High School.
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