Q-and-A With Lake Wylie Head Coach Dameon McCain

The PGH Carolinas Freshman Showcase is Aug. 30 and the Expo takes place on Sep. 6! Use the discount code Carolinas26PGH25OFF for 25% off registration!   We are still roughly over four months away from tip off of the 2026-27 high school girls basketball season. Throughout the Palmetto State, there is plenty of intrigue about one of the state's newest schools.    That school is Lake Wylie which will debut as a 4A participant. Roughly a month after last season concluded, it was announced that former Clover assistant Dameon McCain will take over at the helm of the Chargers.    According to the schedule on Lake Wylie's website, its first game is scheduled for on Nov. 17 at home against another 4A team in Gaffney – a 5A Division 2 Upper State finalist from last season.   We at Prep Girls Hoops recently had a chance to chat with coach McCain about Lake Wylie's upcoming debut, what has learned throughout his coaching career and what one can expect from Chargers girls basketball.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/IMG_2378.jpeg?w=572" alt="" class="wp-image-1880102" /></figure>   PGHSC: What are you most looking forward to about the upcoming season?    DM: I am most looking forward to building strong relationships with my athletes and creating a positive team culture. I'm excited to help each player grow in their skills, confidence and character while learning and developing as a coach myself. I also look forward to the challenges and opportunities that come with a new season, celebrating our progress and watching the team come together to achieve our goals.    PGHSC: What excited you the most about this opportunity with Lake Wylie?    DM: What excites me most about this opportunity is the chance to build something positive from the ground up – supporting students not just academically but also in their growth, confidence and character during a really important stage of life.    I'm especially drawn to the idea of working in a new high school environment because it allows for fresh culture-building. There's an opportunity to set strong expectations early, build meaningful relationships with students and staff and contribuite to a school identity that promotes respect, accountability and motivation.    PGHSC: What was the most important lesson you learned under Coach Shakkia Walker at Clover?    DM: One of the biggest lessons I learned from Coach Walker was the importance of communication and consistency. I also witness when expectations are clearly communicated and reinforced everyday; athletes respond with more confidence and accountability. I also learned that how a coach handles adversity sets the tone for the whole team – staying calm, focused and solution-oriented really helps players do the same.    PGHSC: How much are you looking forward to playing Clover at least twice a year given it is a region rival?    DM: Having a region rival like Clover on the schedule twice a year gives the season a lot more meaning. Those games usually come with higher intensity, bigger crowds and a different level of focus from both teams. It's the kind of matchup that pushes players to compete at their best and shows you quickly where your team is mentally and physically.    As a coach, you also learn a lot from those games – what holds up under pressure and what still needs work. So, instead of just seeing it as “two games,” I'd look at it as two opportunities every year to measure growth, set a standard and build toughness for the rest of the season.    PGHSC: What is your outlook overall on the region with Catawba Ridge, Indian Land, Legion Collegiate, Nation Ford, York and South Pointe?    DM: It's a high-physicality, high-competition region with so much talent. South Pointe and Nation Ford usually set the ceiling while Catawba Ridge, York and Indian Land rotate through being dangerous depending on roster cycles and player development. All the programs in our region are well-coached and I'm super excited for our program and making our mark in our region.    PGHSC: What do you feel like will be qualities that you want to instill that will define Charger basketball?    DM: For a program like Charger basketball, the identity usually gets defined less by talent and more by the standards you refuse to compromise every day. The best teams don't just “play hard” – they build habits that show whether they're winning by 20 or down by 10.    One of the biggest qualities to instill is competitive toughness. That means playing every possession like it matters, not just when the game is close or the opponent is strong. It shows up in loose balls, defensive effort, rebounding and how guys respond after mistakes. Tough teams don't get rattled; they get more focused.    Another key piece is accountability. Players have to feel responsible not just for their own performance, but the standard of the whole group. If one person cuts corners, it lowers everybody. The best programs create culture where teammates correct teammates – not with ego but with buy-in to something bigger than themselves.    PGHSC: Coach Nysha Speed was recently hired as an assistant. What are some thing she brings to the table?    DM: Coach Speed brings a strong focus on player development and fundamentals. Middle school and youth coaching usually emphasizes teaching footwork, ball-handling, defensive positioning and confidence-building which translates well to the varsity level especially for developing younger or less experienced players.    Coach Wilson offers a fresh perspective. New assistants, especially those coming from different levels of the game, often help head coaches see things like effort trends, bench energy or skill gaps that might not be as obvious during games.    Both of these young ladies bring a developmental and teaching mindset to practice planning. Instead of only focusing on game strategy, assistants like Speed and Wilson often help structure drills, reinforce habits and keep intensity and accountability high in workouts.    PGHSC: Final thoughts?    DM: The best coaches build trust first and demand second. If players believe you care about them as people, they'll respond better when you push them as athletes. That doesn't mean being soft – it means being consistent, fair and honest.    Every team is different and even the same group changes over a season. Great coaches adjust schemes, communication style and leadership approach based on what their team actually needs – not what worked last year.    Lastly for me, “teaching matters more than telling.” A successful coach doesn't just correct mistakes; they show, explain and repeat until the habit sticks. The goal is to make our players better thinkers, not just followers of instructions.

The PGH Carolinas Freshman Showcase is Aug. 30 and the Expo takes place on Sep. 6! Use the discount code Carolinas26PGH25OFF for 25% off registration!

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Q-and-A With Lake Wylie Head Coach Dameon McCain

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