It’ll be a family affair when Garfield Heights hosts Warrensville Heights on Thursday.
For years, brothers Sonny—the Bulldogs’ head coach—and Demetrius Johnson have coached alongside each other for the Garfield Heights Boys' Basketball team.
But they’ll stare across the scorer’s table for the first time Thursday night.
Demetrius is in his first season as the head coach at his alma mater, Warrensville Heights.
“I’ve coached at Garfield for the last 13 years,” Demetrius said. “I learned everything that I know from [Sonny].”
Sonny is Garfield Heights' current head coach.
“I’m excited for him because of the person he is, the man he is,” Sonny said. “It’s very exciting to see him take that jump and go home.”
The family ties don’t end there. Sonny has sophomore son Marcus, one of the state’s top-ranked players.
“It means a lot, that’s my uncle,” Marcus said. “I played for him last year, so playing against him this year, that’s family. But it’s going to be a battle.”
Even with all the family on the floor, all eyes will be on one fan in the stands.
“The only person I’m really going to be paying attention to is my mother,” Sonny said. “I’m telling my mother, there’s two of us over here, and there’s only him over there.”
“Once the ball goes in the air, the brother love stuff will have to be after the game,” Demetrius said. “Somebody is going to get talked about at Christmas, and I hope it’s not me.”
