What is the value of good coaching? Some teams succeed even without it, but at the high school level, having good coaching can mean more than just winning. For Coach Campbell and D’mani Nettles, who are basketball coaches at Leesburg High, a team should feel like a family.

That was the case this year for Aniya and Ariyana Hester, who are sisters. They took a chance on Leesburg High School after a few difficult situations in their early career, and they are happy they did.

(Aniya Hester left will be a junior this upcoming year and her sister Ariyana Hester right will be a senior.)

The Hester sisters are motivated. They might get under one another’s skin once in a while, but both sisters love each other. “At the end of the day, that’s what family does, even if you disagree, you make up and move along,” says Ariyana. For Leesburg High School, that’s exactly how they operate.

“We have a sense of family. I love acting like a father figure to so many who come through our system. To give a young player a family environment where they feel comfortable approaching us whenever and wherever is a wonderful thing,” says head coach Sean Campbell.

Coach Sean Campbell coaches the right way. He develops such a bond with his players that when you see him talk to his girls or boys teams, it’s in a family-like way. Perhaps that’s the reason Coach Campbell is a two-time state champion. He just gets the way young minds operate, and he uses that to his advantage.

This has allowed players like the Hester sisters, including fellow transfer Saige McCloud, to want to come to Leesburg High. And who wouldn’t? Leesburg High is among the fastest-growing public schools in Lake County. They have exploded academically and athletically in the past few years.

(From left to right Ariyana Hester, Coach Sean Campbell, Aniya Hester and D’mani Nettles.)

The program has never been in better shape. Athletes are signing to colleges all over the USA, but more importantly, they are sending a large portion of students off to college, the military, and the workforce right out of high school. This is something Leesburg High Principal Michael Randolph is very proud of. “Leesburg High continues to show its commitment to our amazing students. We want our students to contribute to society when they are finished here. Some will continue in college. But if not college, we want them to serve the military or to join a trade. That’s something we are continuing to work hard on,” says Michael Randolph.

That has translated well on the court. D’mani Nettles is a former player and echoes the sentiments about good coaching. “I had the chance to be coached by Sean Campbell during high school. I now get the chance to coach with one of the best to do it in Lake County. Not a day goes by where you don’t learn something from Coach Campbell,” says Nettles.

As far as next season goes, “I think we can get to the state championships next year with the girls team,” says Coach Campbell. “We have a very strong team returning on both the boys and girls sides. I think 2024 is going to be a big year,” says Campbell.

At the end of the day, having a good, solid group of coaches will do wonders for a program. For Leesburg High, they had to adapt last year, but for the Hester sisters, they have been adapting their entire careers. “No matter where we have gone, we have played together and supported each other. Last year was amazing. We want to build upon that and make 2024/2025 an even bigger year!” says Ariyana Hester.