This is the first in a series of profiles of volunteer coaches in the Vicksburg YMCA’s youth basketball program.

When he was growing up, Jessie Lewis says, there weren’t a lot of opportunities to play organized sports. He made a vow to do what he could to change that when he got older, and for nearly two decades he’s stayed true to his word.

Now 40 years old, Lewis has been a volunteer coach in the Vicksburg YMCA’s youth basketball program for 17 of the last 23 years. He joined up in 1991, took a break in the early 2000s, then returned in 2005 when his son Jalen was old enough to play. He’s been on the bench every winter since and, he says, he plans to be there for years to come.

“I just wanted to find a way to give back to the community. It was something I didn’t have a chance to be part of when I was a child,” Lewis said. “My mom couldn’t afford to have me in the YMCA. I wanted to make sure sure my son has a chance to do it.”

Lewis works as the “barber-slash-manager-slash-owner” of Hair Masters barber shop on China Street. He graduated from Vicksburg High in 1992, right about the same time he started coaching in the YMCA league.

He’s won some awards and had some great seasons — the YMCA program focuses on player development and doesn’t have championships — but said the real rewards are seeing his players grow and mature both on the court and off.

“I try to be a mentor,” Lewis said. “Just seeing the look on the kids’ faces when they win their game is great. Even if we lose, I try to teach them lessons in life that you’ve got to keep going. You’re not going to win every time and you’ve got to deal with it.”

Allison East, the Vicksburg YMCA’s program director, said Lewis’ long tenure has made him an institution within the basketball league. Before this season, a paperwork snafu left him without a team to coach. East said other YMCA officials were quickly alerted to the error and didn’t hesitate to make a correction.

“I talked to people in the office about him and they said he HAS to coach that team,” East said. “Everybody knows who he is. He’s a staple of the basketball program. What sets him apart is he’s not here because he has a kid in it, or he’s looking for something to do. He really loves basketball and the youth. That makes him the best coach you could ask for.”

Lewis said he’s had some offers to coach more advanced AAU teams, but the time and expense involved made it difficult. Some of the intense coaching philosophies also differed from his own. He prefers the low-key, non-competitive nature of the YMCA league.

“You still try to teach them to compete, because you have to, but as long as you have fun that’s the important thing,” Lewis said. “On my team, everybody is an MVP. Everybody gets a trophy whether it’s a winning season or a losing season.”

Lewis’ son Jalen is 13 years old now, and about to become one his father’s former players. The YMCA league is for players in elementary school and junior high. The older Lewis, however, said he plans to coach until he’s “old and not able to any more.”

Whether he’s on the court practicing with them or just teaching them lessons about the game and life, Lewis said being around the kids keeps him energized.

“It’s not stressful at all. For me, it’s a stress reliever,” he said. “I get joy out of watching the kids grow and mature, and learning to be helpful to each other no matter what color you are.”