After the Wakefield Warriors went 0-3 to open the 2002-03 boys basketball season, new head coach Tony Bentley grew increasingly anxious about getting his first victory.
In the squad’s fourth game of the season, the Warriors managed to eke out a win over the Marshall Statesmen, 61-60.
Since then, the victories have kept coming consistently for Bentley. Now in his 24th season in charge, Wakefield teams coached by Bentley earned their 400th victory when the host Warriors defeated the Herndon Hornets, 63-58, the night of Dec. 19.
Wakefield improved to 6-1 overall, 1-1 in the Liberty District, with the milestone triumph.
Bentley becomes the second boys basketball coach in Wakefield history with 400 victories. The late Bob Veldran, who coached the Warriors for 31 years through the 2001-02 season, is the team’s all-time leader with 443 coaching wins.
“There was a lot of pressure taking over for a great coach like Bob Veldran was. I just wanted to get that first win,” Bentley said.
Bentley had been the boys junior-varsity coach at Washington-Lee High School (now Washington-Liberty) when he was hired by then-Wakefield director of student activities Noel Deskins.
Deskins “took a chance by hiring a junior-varsity coach with no varsity coaching experience,” Bentley told ARLnow. “Winning 400 games here is a testament to the assistant coaches and players we have had. I’m honored to coach in this neighborhood and the Wakefield community.”
One of those assistants was Horace “Buck” Willis. He was an assistant coach under Bentley at Wakefield through last season, teaming up for 394 wins. Willis is now the head girls varsity basketball coach at Arlington’s Washington-Liberty High. That team had a 6-1 record through Dec. 19 action.
Bentley and Willis are close friends, talking regularly and attending each others’ games this season when there are no scheduling conflicts.
“The two of us set out for what we wanted to do and achieve at Wakefield. Buck helped me so much,” Bentley said. “We are proud of what we have done.”
Under Bentley, Wakefield has won three region championships, multiple district titles and has one state runner-up finish. His teams have played in the state tournament multiple times.
Wakefield concluded Bentley’s first season with a 12-13 record, were second in the National District tournament, and earned a region-playoff berth. The Warriors went 19-6 in Bentley’s second season, winning the district tournament.
NOTE: Wakefield opened in 1953 and Bentley is just the school’s fifth boys head basketball coach.
