San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
FROM FATHER TO SON
Family bonds fuel Cowgill, Ward in Bears’ drive to win a Class 6A championship
A band of freshmen and sophomores helped power Brennan as it blazed its way to the Class 6A boys basketball state semifinals last season. The Bears were more than a team overcoming their youth though.
A common thread of family wove through the team.
The Express-News newcomer of the year, sophomore Isaiah Ward, benefits from the guidance of his father, Ian Ward, who serves as an assistant coach on the team — while junior guard Camden Cowgill gained his love of basketball from his dad, Bears head basketball coach Koty Cowgill.
“I’m just teaching life lessons to my kids,” Ian said. “And I’m doing that to all my (players) because I know that a lot of these fathers would love to be here and coach their kids. So when I coach them like I coach my son, they know I’m not going to treat them any differently. I’m making sure that they’re doing what they’re doing. We talk a lot about the name on the back of the jersey, which is our last name. And so everybody’s last name has to mean something.”
The commitment to upholding his family’s legacy began early for Ian, the youngest of five siblings. With two older brothers who excelled in college football, he understood early that athletics would be a significant part of his future. While passionate about various sports, basketball held a special place in his heart. Ian honed his skills on the challenging blacktops of the Houston area and then in Dallas.
“Where I grew up was a little different than here,” Ian said. “There were more challenges off the court in the neighborhood. So, those challenges really shaped me. They really helped me to be a little bit tougher overall to be able to deal with some adversity a lot better because those adversities that I was dealing with were life-altering.
“Being a dad, which I gotta think that most dads would love to be able to coach their kids in this environment. And the reason why is because you get to see your kid deal with adversity and struggle and see how they deal with that and help him do those things.”
Ian received a Division 1
scholarship to attend Oklahoma University but suffered a foot injury, which forced him to transfer to Independence Junior College before finishing out his collegiate career at St. Mary’s in San Antonio.
Bonded by injury
Isaiah endured a foot injury akin to the one his father faced during his college years back in December. But despite averaging 12 points and eight rebounds last season, Isaiah remained unaware of his Jones fracture in the right foot until after the basketball season concluded.
Doctors informed Isaiah that he had played through the injury for an extended period, potentially causing the suppression of his pain receptors. But with his own experience of a comparable injury, Ian was equipped to support and advise his son through the recovery process.
“I looked at it as a blessing because I knew what he was going through, and I knew what it was going to take, and I knew the trial and error that I went through,” Ian said. “I was going to make sure that the good things I did, we were going to try to do those again, and the things that I didn’t do and I learned the hard way from, I was going to make sure that he was aware of those things. And make sure that we were trying to take our time and be smart about it.”
Isaiah said that he doesn’t have any more pain
after his surgery in July. He’s working on getting in shape before the start of the season due to missing a ton of the offseason workouts, while recovering from surgery.
“I’m getting here early and leaving late,” Isaiah said. “I’m just running, being on the bike, the elliptical, or the treadmill, just trying to get my conditioning back.”
Following Brennan’s practice on Monday, Isaiah approached Ian seeking guidance on strategizing to overcome a particular defensive coverage he had been encountering.
“I did a move in the post during practice, and I really didn’t have a counter to get out of it because I wasn’t open,” Isaiah said. “So I was just talking to him, and he helped me out with the counter. So we went down (to the block) and worked on it.”
Ian said Isaiah always asks him questions about basketball before and after practice.
“I think we get allowed 10 hours a week to spend with our team,” Ian said. “(Isaiah and I) don’t have any time constraints. We can go as long as we want to go. He has more access to me, who’s a coach, and we’re able to share and talk and help him grow.”
Koty and Camden have a similar relationship when it comes to training.
“Overall, I’m trying to teach him to live with the standard and have that competitive spirit where
his performances really matter to him,” Koty said. “And try to build that toughness, and his ability and willingness to impact winning.”
When Camden was about 3 months old, Koty was the director of operations at UTSA. But being that Camden was the Cowgills’ firstborn child, they didn’t have child care already set up for him.
“He came with me to work every day for the first three months of his life,” Koty said. “He’s sitting in this car seat in the stands while we’re practicing.”
Camden’s earliest memories are of his dad showing him how to dribble a basketball at about three.
“I think that it’s fun to share what you’re passionate about,” Koty said. “And I think just being passionate about the game and being passionate about sports has been fun to be able to share that. And when he showed an interest, it was like we’re gonna lean into it.”
‘A good balance’
When Camden was about 12 years old, Koty brought him up to Brennan after he had a bad game, and they played basketball against each other until about midnight.
“He would just guard me, and he just foul me over (and over) again,” Camden said. “Just put me on the floor, like not letting me get a shot up. It helped me now, like with that physicality piece, but I always
thought it was kind of crazy.”
When Camden first got to high school, he felt a little bit of pressure due to wanting to prove himself to the other kids so they wouldn’t think he made varsity because his dad was the coach. But over time, he started getting more comfortable with playing for his dad.
“I think we find a good balance between coach and dad,” Camden said. “I know where that line gets drawn, but off the court, we’ll talk basketball, and the conversation flows. But we also talk about other things, just trying to get a good balance.”
Koty said that he’s going to miss coaching Camden when he graduates.
“This will be the most enjoyable four years of my coaching career for sure,” Koty said. “All the way through, it’s just been a lot of fun.”
Nonetheless, the two father-son pairs still harbor aspirations of creating fresh shared experiences by pursuing their ultimate objective: securing a state championship victory.
“The expectation is bringing back the trophy and cutting the nets down at the end of the year,” Camden said. “We knew we could have done it last year. We did not have our best game. I did not have my best game. So I think everybody’s hungry and knows we have something to prove. It’s the state championship or bust.”