Charlie Ward has officially become Florida A&M University’s 16th head coach for the school’s men’s basketball program.
With one coaching vacancy filled, another one opens, significantly impacting the outlook of Leon County’s high school landscape.
In his seven-year coaching tenure at Florida High School, Ward and the Seminoles have dominated the Big Bend with an 84-15 record, good for a .84 winning percentage. He accumulated a 147–49 overall record, which was good for a .75 winning percentage.
The dominance and control that Florida High has had on the Big Bend has sparked admiration and competition throughout the region.
What Ward and FSUHS have done in his seven-year tenure has become a blueprint for other programs throughout the area.
Billy Auguste, executive director of Reach One Youth Organization, commented on the cultural and competitive impact of Florida High.
“I think Florida High School right now is the hot thing, so the way it is going to affect it is that people are probably going to be vibing to try to either get in Florida High or see how they can beat Florida High, or even see how they can be the new Florida High,” Auguste said.
Florida High finished last season with a 21-6 record and a district championship. The Seminoles fell short of their aspirations of another state championship, falling to Andrew Jackson in the regional finals.
Despite Ward leaving Florida High, he remains optimistic about how the Seminoles will look next season.
“We still have quality players there, and I know they will continue to work to ensure they’re reaching their goals as well,” Ward said Monday.
Filling the hole left by Ward’s departure will be tough, and Florida High athletic director Anthony Robinson knows that the landscape might change with Ward taking the FAMU job.
“It could affect the impact of Tallahassee basketball within the city. It could become more competitive with kids, you know, just with the system and the program that he ran there at Florida High, and his name, his legacy that he’s built, and everybody wants to be under that tutelage,” Robinson said.
Florida High will lose seniors Trey Card, who led the team with 14 points per game, and team leaders Iyran Francis and Amare Robinson.
Although they are losing a lot of production from last year’s district championship team, some key players are returning, including sophomore Artavian “Bubba” Brown, junior Calvin Laing Jr, and seniors Jean Allen and Jordan Smith.
Whoever Florida High brings in has big shoes to fill, and AD Robinson knows finding the right guy to take over this program will be a tall task but not impossible.
“Yes, that would be hard to replace, but the kids that we have, and the foundation that he started here at Florida High, with a coach we hope to bring in, the goal is to continue that and take it to a new level,” he said.