March 14, 2025
Villages Boys Basketball Coach Colt McDowell Named FHSAA Class 3A Coach of the Year
By Kyle Coppola
Villages Boys Basketball Coach Colt McDowell Named FHSAA Class 3A Coach of the Year
The Villages, FL — The Villages Charter School’s head coach Colt McDowell has been named Lake & Sumter Style Magazine’s FHSAA Class 3A Boys Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Buffalo to a 26-6 season and a near-state championship victory.
McDowell guided his team to its third FHSAA State Final Four appearance in the past four seasons and took The Villages to the state finals, falling just one layup short against powerhouse Calvary Christian Academy in a hard-fought 66-64 contest. Calvary Christian, which finished the season 22-1, secured its fourth state championship with the win and continues to compete under its alternate identity, “Fear of God Athletics,” in the Overtime Elite (OTE) league, a pay-for-play circuit that offers athletes minimum salaries of $100,000 and additional signing bonuses.
(Coach Colt McDowell looks on. He has built an impressive team at The Villages the past decade. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
Despite the heart-wrenching loss in Lakeland, McDowell’s leadership and ability to develop top-tier talent once again placed The Villages among Florida’s elite basketball programs. Since taking The Villages program over in 2015, McDowell has developed incredible talent including players like Tre Mann, Ricardo Wright, Sam Walters and most recently Adyn Corbin who had a terrific year.
Coach McDowell also won his 200th game of his high school coaching career this season a 76-61 win against Williston during the final game of the regular season. “I believe in the truths of the Bible. Anyone who konws me, knows I fall short of the ideals it teaches. Thankful that Jesus died for all my sins, short comings, & failures. Also, greatful God gives me another day each day to repent & learn how to love him & others better,” says McDowell. Often times when I ask Colt McDowell “How are you?” his response is simple but carries much weight with it, “Kyle I am better than I deserve to be,” he says. It always warms my heart when I hear that and I take comfort in the fact that coach McDowell uses this to express a sense of gratitude for good things in his life. This rubs off on the people around him constantly.
Coach McDowell is a coach that players want to play for and it’s easy to see that when you sit down and talk with him. What he has built at The Villages Charter High School is pretty incredible and there is no reason to think 2025/2026 will be any different. The Villages is bringing major pieces back next season including Jomar Bernard, Aaron Britt Jr., Jared Thompson, Herly Brutus and Ethan Bevis to name a few.
For McDowell and The Villages, the 2024-25 season was a heck of a statement that they will continue to bring the fight as they look for that first State Championship next season. Congratulations once again to head coach Colt McDowell, his staff and players on a great season.
Photo Credit – VHS Buffalo Athletics and Joe Ott.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
