The groundwork has been laid; all that’s left is to continue it.
Wins piled up all season long for the Wetumpka boys basketball team. At the helm of the operation was head coach Steven Thomas, who led the team to its first 20-win season since the 2013 season and a Sweet 16 appearance. For his efforts, he is the 2025 Elmore County Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.
Like any team, the Indians had their fair share of highs and lows throughout the year but ultimately finished with more highs. The minute the season started, they got on a winning track, jumping out to a 3-2 start, but it all paled in comparison to the run made following the Thanksgiving break.
From December through January, Wetumpka went on a monstrous streak, winning 11 straight games. Everything was clicking on all cylinders with the team embracing the “one game at a time” mindset Thomas had envisioned for them.
“We weren’t really worried about going on to the next game or looking ahead (to) whoever we had,” Thomas said. “We just took it one at a time. Our mantra is going in was anybody in front of us, we’ll just focus on beating who we play that day.”
Whatever was necessary, the Indians were going to find a way to win. Thomas keyed in on the plethora of victories they piled up coming off of someone’s hot hand or the team as a whole playing lockdown defense. It did not matter how, all that mattered was coming away with a win.
“We started to, just from that point, figuring out we can find ways to win in different aspects of the game,” Thomas said. “Whether it be firing on all cylinders on offense, or being able to guard at a high level on defense, just different things like that. We found ways to win during that streak and throughout the season.”
There was one series in particular that Thomas pointed out that exemplified this team’s ability to win — the three games against Elmore County. Wetumpka took home a win in each of those games, but those wins all came from someone different each time. Andrew Voyles had the hot hand in the first one with 35 points, then it was Nolan Fitch’s turn with a 23-point outing in the second, then the Indians capped it off with a combination of Fitch and Voyles in the finale as the two combined for 43 points.
“We had one game there that I remember specifically when we were over at Elmore County, and from the jump, you could tell it was going to be a hard-fought game,” Thomas said. “Coach (Nathan) Taylor over there always has a great game plan. In the first game at our place, Andrew Voyles had a very good game. So (Taylor) game planned to take him away. I noticed that Nolan Fitch had a great game for us, especially in that second half where Andrew couldn't get things going. And next thing you know, Nolan has a 23-point game because he stepped up when our offense wasn't very good at that.”
Even with notable contributions to be lost, Wetumpka now knows what it takes to perform at a high level. Now, the hurdle to overcome is to not be complacent. With success comes expectations, as teams across the area will be gunning to topple Wetumpka on the court. Thomas will use the offseason to make sure they are still improving on a day-to-day basis as Wetumpka aims to be on top for another year.
“You can't go into next season thinking, ‘Oh, we made it this far last year,’” Thomas said. “That it’s going to be an easy thing, or that's going to be something that's going to be automatic. No, you still got teams around you that are going to work today. If you're not showing up with the expectation that a team across the street or a team that you're going to end up playing in any championship round, if you think they're not trying to get better to beat you, then what are you here for?"