February 27, 2025
Leesburg High’s Sean Campbell Named FHSAA Class 5A Basketball Coach of the Year
By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg High’s Sean Campbell Named FHSAA Class 5A Basketball Coach of the Year
LEESBURG, Fla. – Lake & Sumter Style Magazine has unanomously named Leesburg High School’s Sean Campbell the FHSAA Class 5A Coach of the Year. Campbell, who took on the extraordinary challenge of coaching both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for the second season in a row. Coach Campbell has helped lead the boys’ squad to the FHSAA State Semifinals with a 17-7 record, marking a triumphant return to Lakeland.
(Sean Campbell hugs Leesburg Athletic Director Spencer Hey after winning the FHSAA Class 5A Regional Championship at Leesburg last week. Photo Credit – shotby.keny)
The Yellow Jackets enter the semifinal ranked No. 35 in the state of Florida. Coach Campbell’s efforts in revitalizing both programs have earned him statewide recognition, and he nearly made history as the first Leesburg coach to guide two varsity teams to the FHSAA Final Four in the same season. The girls’ team fell just short in the Regional Final a week ago, but their 2024 record of 24-2 along with their 14-10 record this season represents one of the most best turn arounds in recent memory for a girls varsity sports program.
When the Leesburg girls’ basketball team unexpectedly lost its head coach before the 2023/2024 season, Campbell stepped up, balancing the responsibilities of both programs. With the support of Assistant Coaches D’mani Nettles and others, he seamlessly transitioned into the role, bringing immediate success to a girls’ team that finished just 1-24 the previous season. Over the past two years we have had the chance to see both boys and girls teams flourish.
“I knew when I decided to take both on that it was going to be difficult,” Campbell said. “Practice was the easy part; the hard part was the logistics.”
(Coach Campbell noted the challenges between coaching boys and girls varsity basketball at the same time but he has taken the job in stride and has had success with both programs the past two seasons. Photo Credit Azaliasphotos.)
It is also coach Campbell’s second year coaching a girls’ basketball team, but his philosophy remained consistent.
“My coaching style did not change much, but the way I approached certain things had to change,” Campbell said. “I also got to coach my daughter, Macey Campbell last year and that was a thrill in its own right. But the biggest thrill was seeing the girls’ eyes light up with excitement when we started winning. Most of these girls didn’t know what it was like to be a winning team. When they started winning games, that was one of the most rewarding feelings of my life.” That continued this season and while the girls varsity team had a tougher schedule than last year, they became battle tested and made it to the Regional Finals for the second year in a row.
(The results of coach Campbell’s coaching style have been back-to-back district championships for Leesburg High School girls basketball. Photo Credit – LHS.)
A two-time state champion with Leesburg’s boys’ team, Campbell considers this season one of his most challenging yet rewarding experiences.
Beyond the basketball court, Campbell remains committed to fostering academic excellence at Leesburg High. The school has implemented the Cambridge AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) program, leading to Leesburg’s highest-ever graduation rates. In 2024, the school achieved over a 90% graduation rate which was the highest in school history.
“Academically, since I attended Leesburg High, the opportunities for all kids are at an all-time high, but especially for young African American kids,” said Assistant Coach D’Mani Nettles, a Leesburg alum. “The opportunities for our Black youth have never been better. That is due to the teachers, faculty, and overall leadership provided on and off the court.”
(Campbell is a roll model on and off the court and many student athletes consider him a father figure. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
With his latest honor as FHSAA Class 5A Coach of the Year, Sean Campbell’s legacy at Leesburg High School continues to grow. His ability to inspire, develop, and lead student-athletes both in competition and in life is a shining example of coaching excellence in Florida high school sports. Now coach Campbell will focus on trying to win a third FHSAA State Basketball Championship. Leesburg plays against Ponte Vedra next Wednesday March, 5th at 3:00pm.
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.
