ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There’s certain things you will always hear at a Lakewood High basketball practice. Bouncing balls, of course. And the squeak of sneakers on the court, naturally. 

But it’s this booming voice that sets the Spartans’ workouts apart from others.

What You Need To Know

  •  Coach Necole Tunsil has led her alma mater to the Final Four and state championship games.

  •  She has been a foster parent for years.

  •  Coach Tunsil officially adopted Lexander, a sophomore at Lakewood, after years of foster care.

Head Coach Nicole Tunsil’s tone is part instructive, part authoritative, part sarcastic and all of it with a hint of nurturing. She’s helped raise hundreds of young men and women over the years at Lakewood. Her motherly instincts just come naturally. 

“I think coaching and being a mom are hand in hand, right? It kind of goes hand in hand,” Tunsil said.

Basketball was always the most important thing in Tunsil’s life. To where she put her personal life on hold and never had kids of her own. Until now. After years of being a foster parent, Tunsil officially became a mom when she adopted Lakewood High sophomore Lexander Coleman.

“I just think it was my calling,” she said. “It was like my call the God gave me and the shoes that I had to fill.”

A trip to the Pinellas County Justice Center made it official. A judge signed all the paperwork and then the celebration began.

Just like her Spartans team, Coach Tunsil has rules for her son. He’s got to keep his grades up. He has a job. As for the rest, they are going to figure it out as they go along.

“I never wanted to be a mom,” Tunsil said. “I never dreamed of being a mom. It just kind of fell into my lap. I guess that was God’s plan.”

“She’s always caring,” Alexander said. “She’s always providing, going out of her way. Even though she kind of feels uncomfortable, she still doing it and helps us.”

She’s coached in some big games, Final Fours, state championships. But this will be her ultimate coaching job. For someone who has been used to living by a game plan, Coach Tunsil is learning to go with the flow.

“There’s no book to parenting,” she said. “Even with my journey, there’s no book to parenting. I told Lex I’m going to make some mistakes, you’re going to make some. We’re going to figure it out without killing each other in here. I think coaching kind of set me up a little in the right direction. I just pray and I ask the community to pray, to pray with me and for me. It’s going to take a village.”