By Thomas Grant, Jr.
Cameron Lee was one of the top players at Ridge View when John Combs served as head coach.
Now as the Spring Valley Athletics Director, Combs has once again turned towards Lee for leadership. This time, it’s as the Vikings’ new boys’ basketball coach.
“I am honored and excited for the opportunity to lead the basketball program at Spring Valley,” Lee said in a statement. “This is a special place with a strong tradition, and a look forward to working with our student-athletes, staff, and community to build something great.”
Lee makes his return to the Northeast area from Lakewood High School, where he enjoyed success the past four seasons. Prior to that, he was a Blazers’ assistant coach for three state championship teams under Yerrick Stoneman.
Following Lee’s playing days at Ridge View, he played at Cameron University and pursued a pro career overseas. He replaces Cypheus Benton, who resigned in February after going 50-76 in five seasons.
While the Viking have not posted a winning season since 2019, Lee has seen his alma mater become the dominant program in Class 5A. He will compete against them in the newly-realigned Region 5-5A along with Blythewood, Gray Collegiate and Sumter.
“The Northeast area as a whole has a lot of talent, and it’s not secret to why we see these programs are seeing success,” Lee said. “We have to have a strong work ethic, discipline, and consistency to the process. Championships and wins aren’t given, they are earned, so we have to make sure we are striving to chase our goals every day.”
Implementing his culture and daily standards are among Lee’s first priorities for the Vikings. He wants to see the team “changing our habits to a championship mindset, pursuing improvement each day in the classroom, each rep in the weight and at each practice.”
“Player development is at the forefront of our program,” he said. “We want our guys to strive to get better individually, and want our gym to stay open for guys who are hungry to get better.”
