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Jefferson High School

Hoops coach leaves a lasting mark

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The Pasco County’s boys basketball coaching landscape will undoubtedly take on a differently look this coming season, and beyond.

First, it was venerable Land O’ Lakes High head coach Dave Puhalski who announced his retirement after collecting 479 wins in 31 years at the school.

Now, it’s longtime Wesley Chapel High head coach Doug Greseth who’s hanging up the whistle and walking away from the sidelines for good.

Greseth, 63, quietly retired at the end of the 2019-2020 season, which saw the Wildcats post a 16-10 mark and earn a playoff berth.

Longtime Wesley Chapel High varsity boys basketball coach Doug Greseth recently announced his retirement. He exits with 300 wins at the school and 533 career wins overall, adding up his years at Okeechobee and Tampa Jefferson high schools. Combined, he spent more than 34 years coaching the high school ranks. (Courtesy of Taina Greseth)

Winning was commonplace wherever Greseth went.

He won 300 games in 17 years at Wesley Chapel. Over his 34-year prep coaching career, he registered 533 wins — collecting another 163 wins in 13 seasons at Okeechobee High School and 70 wins in four seasons at Jefferson (Tampa) High School, respectively.

The coach also racked up multiple state playoff appearances and coach of the year awards, all while developing countless All-Conference players and college-level athletes.

After so many years, Greseth is ready to step aside.

“I’ve been teaching for over 36 years, coaching for over 34 years, and I just thought this was a good time to end my career,” Greseth said, in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News. “You just get a gut feeling when it’s time to move on and do other things, so that’s basically it.”

A signal of how long Greseth’s been in the game — he recently coached the son of a former player from his early days at Okeechobee High in the mid 1980s.

The circumstance happened when Greseth coached Chaz Neal during the 2017 and 2018 seasons at Wesley Chapel. He also coached Neal’s father, Roger, more than 30 years before that at the southeast Florida-based school. “You know you’ve been doing it for a long time when the sons start coming through,” Greseth joked.

As he’s just settling into retirement, there’s plenty Greseth will miss about coaching high school hoops.

The competition. The preparation. All the players and fellow coaches.

“I’ve really been fortunate,” Greseth said. “I’ve had a lot of really good assistant coaches. I’ve had a lot of good support. It’s been one of those things, there’s a lot of hardship with coaching, but there’s a lot of satisfaction, as well.”

Some of his favorite teams were those that didn’t have a cast of superstars, but rather a group of team players forced to come together and work hard to discover success. It happened in his second season at Wesley Chapel in 2005, when the team spent the first half of the season under .500, but wound up winning a district title and finishing 17-10.

“It’s easy to coach an all-star team, it’s easy to coach when you’ve got a lot of great players, but when you’ve really got to work to build a team and to get a team to be successful when you maybe have less talent than you have other years, that’s probably the most satisfying thing for me,” he said.

Throughout the local hoops community, Greseth is regarded for an intense, passionate style centered around hard and unselfish play, with an emphasis on sturdy man-to-man defense.

The coach pointed out, “I’ve been called ‘old-school’ by more than one person.

“I wasn’t afraid to be demanding of players. Maybe that’s why we had the success that we had.”

Respected by peers, players
Greseth’s long-lasting career is much appreciated by Wiregrass Ranch High boys basketball coach Jeremy Calzone, whose teams have rivaled Wesley Chapel’s the past 14 years.

Calzone described Greseth as “by far one of the best ever to be on the sidelines, just what he teaches those kids over there and their defense.”

Doug Greseth came to Wesley Chapel in 2003, developing the varsity boys basketball program into one of the area’s best. (Courtesy of Wesley Chapel High School athletics department)

Calzone added: “He’s lasted this long because he gets kids to really buy into his defensive philosophy, and they play hard for him.

“It’s the hardest game of the year for us, not just because it’s a rivalry, but because I know they’re going to give it to us defensively, and get in our face and be physical.”

Off the court, Calzone considers Greseth a mentor and close friend.

The younger coach was just 26 years old when he landed the Wiregrass Ranch job, when the school opened 2006.

That first semester his team was forced to practice at Wesley Chapel’s gymnasium, as the new school’s gym wouldn’t be ready until January 2007.

Calzone will always remember how generous Greseth was in sharing his space and resources. There were times when Calzone’s hoops team was practicing on one end of the floor, while Greseth’s physical education class was on the other side.

Calzone recalled Greseth’s hospitality: “He welcomed me in with open arms even though he knew we were going to be rivals. He made sure that I got whatever I needed, like as far as basketballs if I needed them or extra gym space, he just was very accommodating from the very beginning, and he couldn’t have helped me any more than he did.

“He’d just give me advice, and he’d make sure if I needed anything, like there’s just so much that he did that he didn’t have to do. He could’ve been mad and said, ‘Oh, these guys are using our gym,’ and he did not do that, which I’ll never forget that.”

In game action, Greseth’s aggressive on-court demeanor may have been a turnoff for some watching from the stands.

Calzone acknowledged if someone were to catch a Wesley Chapel game, they might come away thinking Greseth “was a pretty bad guy.” But, that’s far from the case, Calzone insists.

“Even though he’s intense and he yells a lot, the love he has for the game and for people in the game and his players, I don’t think people really appreciate that, and I’m going to miss that, and I know the players that he leaves behind are certainly going to miss that, as well,” Calzone said.

Greseth’s consideration and having others’ best interests at heart isn’t lost on former players, including Greg Jenkins, who graduated from Wesley Chapel in 2008.

Jenkins is best known for his work on the gridiron, where he became was a star quarterback at Alabama State University, and spent three seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.

He also played varsity hoops for three years for Greseth, developing into an All-Conference player, leading scorer and hard-nosed defensive player.

“He’s definitely going to push you, not only as a basketball player, but as a young man,” Jenkins recalled of Greseth. “If you weren’t a team player, you wouldn’t really like his coaching style. “Like, he was a team-oriented style coach, and he loved to win,” Jenkins said.

The former pro athlete’s connection with Greseth transcends sports.

When Jenkins was a middle-schooler, Greseth would pick him up from his Dade City home and drive him to and from summer league basketball games in Wesley Chapel. The experience isn’t lost on Jenkins. He acknowledged he had a rough upbringing and was raised in a single-parent household and didn’t always have a ride to athletics events.

“He’s like a father-figure,” Jenkins said of Greseth. So much so, Jenkins makes a point to text Greseth a positive message every Father’s Day.

The coach was there for important moments in Jenkins’ life, too. Greseth attended his mother’s funeral in 2016 and his wedding in 2017.

“Anything I have going on, he’s definitely there,” said Jenkins, now an Atlanta-based fitness and athletic trainer. “We have a real friendship. It’s bigger than sports.”

Jenkins also underscored Greseth’s humble nature.

When Jenkins recently made a trip to his old stomping grounds to catch up with Greseth, he said his former coach never mentioned he had eclipsed the 500-career win mark.

Jenkins didn’t know about the achievement until he noticed a celebratory plaque hanging on the school’s gymnasium wall.

“He just loves the work, the work behind the scenes. He’s doesn’t like accolades, he just works,” Jenkins said.

Greseth coached Erik Thomas at Wesley Chapel, one of Pasco County’s most decorated players who’s now playing professionally in Mexico. Thomas said Greseth made a substantial impact on his successful basketball career. (File)

Erik Thomas is the most decorated hoops player Greseth coached at Wesley Chapel.

He is the program’s all-time scorer and rebounder who won the Florida Class 4A Player of the Year in 2013. He’s gone on to have a notable college career at NCAA Division I University of New Orleans and will be playing in the Mexican professional basketball league this year, after spending the past three seasons playing in Argentina.

Thomas detailed how Greseth improved his game throughout his four years of high school, helping him fine-tune fundamentals and better understand the sport’s nuances.

“He brings you back to what basketball is about, and knowing the game and becoming  a student of the game,” Thomas said. “He helped me get to where I wanted to go.”

Thomas said Greseth’s coaching style resembled a “Bob Knight type,” referring to the legendary Indiana University men’s basketball coach who won three national championships and was known for instilling a disciplined approach and for his fiery on-court presence.

“I had to work my butt off,” Thomas said of playing for Greseth. “He tried to enforce working hard and having a hard work ethic, and I think his character and his demeanor and energy rubbed off on all the players, allowing them to get better on the court.”

Like others have found, beyond Greseth’s sometimes gruff exterior is a coach who really cared.

One of Thomas’ favorite memories was when his prep coach showed up to his senior night game in New Orleans in 2017. Greseth made the nine-hour drive to New Orleans to support Thomas, then drove back home later that night.

“Him being there meant a lot, and it just shows we have a relationship after I had graduated and after I had went into college,” Thomas said. “He always was hoping that I would go out and do big things, and I was able to achieve them. I was just glad I was able to come to Wesley Chapel and play under him, and do what I did there in those four years I was there.”

Road to 533 career victories
• 163 wins in 13 seasons at Okeechobee High School (1983-1986)
• 70 wins in four seasons at Jefferson (Tampa) High School (1999-2002)
• 300 wins in 17 seasons at Wesley Chapel High School (2003-2020)

Wesley Chapel boys basketball under coach Doug Greseth
2003-2004: 22-6 (state playoffs; region semifinals)
2004-2005: 17-10 (district champions; state playoffs)
2005-2006: 23-6 (conference champions; district champions; state playoffs)
2006-2007: 15-12 (district runner-up; state playoffs)
2007-2008: 19-7
2008-2009: 12-14
2009-2010: 13-12 (conference runner-up)
2010-2011: 13-16 (district runner-up; state playoffs)
2011-2012: 24-5 (conference champions; state playoffs)
2012-2013: 24-5 (conference champions; district champions; state playoffs)
2013-2014: 21-6 (conference runner-up)
2014-2015: 17-10 (conference runner-up)
2015-2016: 21-8 (conference runner-up; district runner-up; state playoffs)
2016-2017: 9-17
2017-2018: 16-11
2018-2019: 18-9
2019-2020: 16-10 (state playoffs)

Published July 15, 2020

Community mourns couple’s passing

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The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club was already grieving the death of its former president, Edwina Kraemer, when the club received word that Edwina’s husband, David, had died a day later.

Those who knew Edwina describe her as capable, dynamic, organized and giving. They said she was a woman who held leadership roles in the woman’s club, was passionate about raising money for Canine Companions for Independence; was involved in her church, First United Methodist Church of Lutz; and, was devoted to her family.

David and Edwina Kraemer share a smile. (Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

David had been battling health problems for some time, and Edwina had been hospitalized in recent months, several sources said.

Friends were shocked that the couple died just one day apart.

The couple is survived by their son and his family, Keith, Pam and Gwen Vickery, of Brandon.

Even though Edwina was known for not calling attention to herself, she was widely known in the community because of her leadership and good works, several sources said.

She was president of the woman’s club during the years 2010 to 2012. And, she was named Lutz Guv’na in 2006, an honorary title secured by raising money to help community causes.

“Edwina was one of the most generous people you’d ever run into,” said Nancy Fisher, who has known Edwina since 2005.

She was a good friend, too.

“Anyone that was sick, down, whatever — she had a cake there. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen her take cakes to people,” Fisher said.

“She was a wonderful baker, fantastic cook. Her home was always open to have events for the woman’s club,” Fisher added.

Edwina and Fisher worked closely together to raise money for Canine Companions for Independence, a service dog organization.

“She headed DogFest for three years,” Fisher said, noting Edwina was instrumental in raising more than $130,000 for service dogs. “It would not have gone (on) without her. She put her whole heart into it.”

When the woman’s club holds a BowWow Bingo Fundraiser on Aug. 30, it also will honor Edwina, Fisher said.

“I’ve asked everyone to wear pearls. She always had pearls — a bracelet, earrings, a necklace, something,” Fisher said. “We want to remember her.”

Pat Serio, another woman’s club member, met Edwina through the club.

“I remember Edwina showing obvious signs of leadership from Day 1, and she lost no time in immediately accepting duties, club offices,” Serio said, via email.

“Family, her strong faith and service to her community meant everything to her.  We, in the club, have missed her terribly during these past 5 months of her illness and will continue to feel the void for a long while,” Serio said.

“Edwina’s beloved David survived her by only one day, and we rejoice in that they are now reunited for eternity. RIP dear friends, Edwina and David,” Serio said.

Mike Mullins, a friend of David’s since 1971, recalled that the couple met when they were supervisors in the Youth Conservation Corps program.

Both of them were science teachers, said Mullins, who met David during a teacher conference on Sanibel Island. David taught at Eisenhower Junior High School and Jefferson High School, Mullins said.

“He was the kind of guy that would go out and bring in stuff for the kids to see. He was a very interactive teacher.”

David also loved to cook out, was involved in karate, was a firearms expert and instructor, and enjoyed spending time on his lake, Mullin said.

Rick Cabot, the pastor at First United Methodist Church of Lutz, said Edwina was involved in many ways at the church.

She helped with the massive project to relocate the church from its former site on Lutz Lake Fern Road near U.S. 41, to its current location, on Lutz Lake Fern near North Dale Mabry Highway.

It was a huge undertaking, involving the acquisition of land, design of the building and scores of other details, Cabot said. Edwina also helped raise money to pay for the project, which Cabot estimated at between $5.5 million and $6 million.

Additionally, Edwina was dedicated to preparing communion for the congregation.

She was typically there by herself early on Sunday mornings, Cabot said.

“She would have the biggest smile on her face,” he said, and as she filled each communion cup “it was like she was concerned for that person that would be partaking it. She just did it with so much love.

“Edwina’s heart for people and heart for God were simply incredible,” Cabot added.

“I just can’t say enough kind things about her.

“The biggest thing is how she made people feel when she was around them: Loved and cared about, that they were important,” the pastor said.

In a previous interview with The Laker/Lutz News, Edwina said she wanted to join the woman’s club because it was genuinely determined to serve the community.

She also offered her impression of the Lutz/Land O’ Lakes community.

“Lutz and Land O’ Lakes have this old town flavor,” she said. “I grew up in a little town in Brevard County (Cocoa), so it takes me back to my youth. There are a lot of great traditions in this area.”

When the woman’s club was celebrating its 50th anniversary, Edwina, then president, described the group as purposeful, empowered women. She said she was attracted to the club because of its focus on service.

“I was raised with the idea that you are not a burden to your society and that you give back,” she said.

Apparently, those lessons stuck.

A dual Celebration of Life service is planned for the couple on Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. at First United Methodist Church of Lutz, 960 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road.

Published August 29, 2018

Erik Thomas relishes NCAA tournament cameo

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Erik Thomas’ illustrious collegiate career is over, but the former Wesley Chapel High basketball star has no plans to step away from the court.

On March 14, the University of New Orleans Privateers suffered a heart-wrenching 67-66 loss to Mount St. Mary’s in the First Four game of the NCAA Tournament.

Erik Thomas remains Wesley Chapel’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, leading scorer and rebounder with 2,138 points and 1,203 rebounds, respectively.
In his senior prep season, Thomas was named Class 5A Player of the Year after averaging a state-best 32.7 points per game and 16.3 rebounds per game.
(File)

The defeat was a bittersweet ending to what otherwise was a noteworthy senior season for Thomas, the 2016-2017 Southland Conference Player of the Year and the Privateers’ leading scorer (19.3 points per game), rebounder (7.8 per game) and shooter (58.9 field goal percentage).

Thanks in large part to contributions from the 6-foot-5 forward, New Orleans punched a ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 1996. Moreover, it marked the team’s first 20-win season since 1996-1997, and its first winning season since 2008.

Despite the early exit, reaching the NCAA Tournament was quite literally “a once-in-a-lifetime experience” for Thomas.

“A lot of dudes don’t get to experience that,” Thomas said. “Just being able to make it to the First Four and represent the school, it was an excitement for all of us, and I was just happy to be there; it was a blessing.”

Along the way, Thomas, who remains Wesley Chapel’s High’s all-time leading scorer (2,138 points) and rebounder (1,203 rebounds), said he was inundated with messages of support from family and friends.

That included Doug Greseth, Thomas’ high school coach at Wesley Chapel High School.

In fact, Greseth made the 640-mile trek to New Orleans to watch Thomas’ final home game, on March 11.

“For him to come (to New Orleans), it meant a lot,” Thomas said. “It felt good to have the support there.”

Greseth, one of Pasco County’s longest-tenured boys basketball coaches, was awestruck by Thomas’ development since last coaching him during the 2012-2013 season.
That season, Thomas was named Class 5A Player of the Year after averaging a state-best 32.7 points per game and 16.3 rebounds per game.

“I got goose bumps watching him live,” Greseth said, “because I was just so proud of how much better, how much of a well-rounded player he is.

“He’s really become a complete player. He can play with his face to the basket, he can play with his back to the basket. He rebounds well. He’s always been an excellent passer, and his defense has gotten a lot better.”

Former Wesley Chapel High hoops star Erik Thomas helped lead the New Orleans Privateers to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996. The 2016-2017 Southland Conference Player of the Year was the Privateers’ leading scorer (19.3 points per game), rebounder (7.8 per game) and shooter (58.9 field goal percentage). He is now focusing on a professional basketball career.
(Courtesy of University of New Orleans)

Greseth, too, complimented Thomas’ unselfishness, leadership, and improved shot selection and basketball IQ.

“He really worked hard to improve,” Greseth said.

With stints at Jefferson and Okeechobee high schools, Greseth acknowledged Thomas is one of the top “two or three players” he’s ever coached during his career, which spans more than 30 years.

At Jefferson High, Greseth coached Tarence Kinsey, who was named the state’s Class 4A player of the year in 2002.
Kinsey later played for the University of South Carolina and spent two seasons in the NBA (Memphis Grizzlies in 2006-2007, Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008), before embarking on a basketball career overseas.

Thomas, likewise, is mulling a professional hoops career.

The basketball star said he’s currently searching for a sports agent, as he works towards completing his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.

In the meantime, Thomas is sharpening his hoops skills.

“I’m just trying to stay in shape and keep working on my craft,” Thomas said. “I’m always in the gym working. It doesn’t stop no matter what. Even after the season, I took a couple days’ break and then I was just back in the gym working out.”

Though the NBA appears to be a long shot, a basketball career internationally seems well within reach for Thomas.

“I definitely think he can play overseas,” Greseth said, confidently.  “I think he could play in Europe; I definitely believe he can do that.”

A four-year letterman at Wesley Chapel, Thomas helped lead the Wildcats to a combined 74-38 overall record, a 37-17 mark in district play and berths in the playoffs each year, including identical 24-5 marks with District 8-5A titles his last two years.

Despite the production and flashy statistics, Thomas was relatively overlooked as a Division I prospect out of high school.

He opted to play two seasons in junior college — East Georgia State College and Baton Rouge Community College — before transferring to New Orleans his junior season.

Many Division I schools, Greseth said, were initially concerned Thomas was too undersized to play in the frontcourt and lacked the qualities needed to transition to the backcourt.

“I’d say most Division I schools thought he was too small to play inside,” Greseth said. “I think they felt like he wasn’t a good enough shooter to play on the perimeter — I think that’s probably what got him.”

Yet, Thomas was able to augment his skills each year, Greseth added, later proving naysayers wrong.

“A lot of that is mostly him putting in the work to get better,” Greseth said. “Some kids — they don’t get any better, they peak at an early age. He just seemed to get better and better every year that he played.”

Regardless of what his future holds, Thomas said he wants to serve as a role model for others in the sport, particularly those forced to enter the junior college ranks.

“I just like to be a motivation,” Thomas said, “to everybody else that’s out there that goes through the JuCo route, or that’s gotten injured coming out of high school.”

That experience, however, served him well.

“I believe going through the process that I went through — it’s just made me a better player and made me work harder,” he said.

Published March 29, 2017