North Meck head basketball coach Duane Lewis, right, is hugged by a fan as the crowd celebrates the team’s 57-47 win in the NCHSAA 4A State Championship at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC. North Meck defeated Hanover for the victory.
JEFF SINER
jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
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To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Sweet 16 basketball poll, The Observer is honoring the top boys’ coaches in the era. Because The Observer’s coverage area has changed so much through the years — it once stretched to the Triad, mountains and beach — the anniversary team will only include Mecklenburg County coaches.
Note: Until 1997, The Observer named all-star teams by region (All-Mecklenburg, All-Piedmont, All-Upper State SC). Beginning with the 1997-98 season, The All-Observer team was born, naming the best in the entire region.
Langston Wertz Jr. is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the Observer since 1988. He’s covered everything from Final Fours and NFL to video games and Britney Spears. Wertz -- a West Charlotte High and UNC grad -- is the rare person who can answer “Charlotte,” when you ask, “What city are you from.”Support my work with a digital subscription
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