Gatzemeyer’s journey to career win No. 100

Gatzemeyer’s journey to career win No. 100

By Robert Alfonso Jr.

Newnan, GA — Trent Gatzemeyer has never chased milestones. He has chased meaning.

Still, on Monday night, meaning came with a number. With Newnan High’s 80–63 victory over Charles Drew, Gatzemeyer collected the 100th win of his coaching career — a tidy figure that serves as a bookmark in a much larger story. The Cougars remained unbeaten at 8–0 overall and 2–0 in region play, and Gatzemeyer’s seven-year record now stands at 100–68. Newnan hosts East Coweta on Friday.

To Gatzemeyer, the number matters not for what it says about him, but for what it says about the program.

“Winning 100 is a big deal for me because our goal coming in was to build something that would last year over year — something people would be proud of and want to be a part of,” he said. “Wins are just a small part of that, but they do highlight the growth and sustainability of our program.”

That sustainability has been intentional from the start. When Gatzemeyer arrived in 2019, he inherited a program searching for belief. The Cougars had a small senior class that had never won a region game. Discouragement lingered, and the region was unforgiving. The task was not simply to win, but to repair.

Newnan won 11 games that first season, a modest total on paper. But one victory — a breakthrough win over Pebblebrook — changed the trajectory. Those seniors, short on accolades but rich in resolve, laid the groundwork for what followed: an Elite Eight run the very next year.

From that point forward, the culture took hold.

Gatzemeyer’s obsession has never been stars or stat lines. It has been people. Every player, regardless of role or skill set, matters. Every relationship counts. That philosophy has remained unchanged since his first win.

“We operate as a family,” Gatzemeyer said. “We hold each other to a standard, and it’s something we’ll all share for life.”

The numbers support that sentiment. Since Gatzemeyer took over, Newnan has graduated 33 seniors. Every one of them earned a diploma. Many still text. They call. They come back to games. They tell stories. Programs talk about brotherhood; Newnan lives it.

Consistency has also been a cornerstone. Gatzemeyer’s staff — Demarcus Wilkins, Mario Houston and Michael White — has remained largely intact, blending collegiate playing experience with discipline and shared purpose. Stability has bred trust, and trust has bred growth.

At 37, Gatzemeyer carries perspective beyond his years. An Oregon native, he took over the Newnan program just a month after turning 30. A two-sport athlete in basketball and football, his playing career at William Jewell College in Missouri was cut short by injuries, nudging him toward coaching. He volunteered at the high school level while earning his master’s degree at the University of Georgia, returned to Missouri for several seasons, then found his way back to the Peach State — and to Newnan.

Along the way, he studied the craft. His high school coach taught him how to challenge players in different ways. His college coach, Larry Holley — a 919-game winner — showed him how to build a program brick by brick, with relentless attention to detail. Mountain View coach BJ Roy also played a pivotal role in his development. Gatzemeyer listened, absorbed and applied.

Now, with 100 wins in hand, he prefers to talk about advice rather than accolades.

“I’d tell aspiring coaches to get into it for the right reasons and remember why we get to do this,” he said. “It’s about developing successful young men, on and off the court.”

He also stresses presence — being fully committed to where you are.

“Do the job you have to the best of your ability. Learn from everyone. Don’t be too good for anyone. Treat people the right way,” Gatzemeyer said. “Eventually, you’ll get where you need to be, and you’ll rely on the experiences you learned along the way. Above all else, make sure your players know you love them as more than just athletes.”

One hundred wins may be the headline. But in Newnan, the real story is deeper — a program rebuilt, a culture sustained, and relationships that will long outlast the final buzzer.

That is the kind of victory that never fades.