He’s been a high school hoops coach for more than 40 years. Can he finally win a title?

For more than 40 years, Willie Goolsby has paced up and down the sideline at Southwest basketball games.

He has won a lot of games, made it to multiple Final Fours and even played in a couple of state title games. But one thing Goolsby hasn’t done? He’s never won a championship.

That could change on Thursday when his Patriots take on Douglass in the GHSA AA girls championship game.

“I have been to the door a couple of times and didn’t get in,” Goolsby said. “Obviously, my career is winding down. I guess that is the one thing I haven’t accomplished. It would mean a lot to me.”

There was a time when Goolsby didn’t know if he’d get another shot at a title. He’s even come to terms with never winning one. A win now would be the “icing on the cake” for him, he said.

“I had opportunities to win earlier in my career and we didn’t. And I said if I didn’t then I had a good career,” Goolsby said. “You think your career is about over and you thought that maybe it’s not the lord’s will that I win one. But it seems like things just come around again and we got an opportunity and hopefully, with the lord’s will, we can win this one.”

From a losing season to a title game

Goolsby’s team consists of a group of girls who went 5-19 as freshmen. There were no juniors or seniors on the team that season to help the younger players ease into the high school game.

The same group also endured a couple of seasons of tough losses but reached the playoffs last season before they lost to Woodville-Tompkins in the first round.

Before the start of this season, the Patriots lost to Americus-Sumter, a state finalist in AAAA, in a scrimmage.

That scrimmage, plus last season’s first-round playoff loss are big parts of why the Patriots have been successful this season. Goolsby said the losses and close wins have kept his team grounded.

“It is good to have some adversity. Even this season, I think the games that we lost helped us more than they hurt us,” he said. “It lets you know that you are not there all the way.”

On Feb. 29, the Patriots went on a 19-6 run to end its semifinal game against Rockmart. The dramatic comeback was capped by a buzzer-beating turnaround jumper by junior power forward Stangious Alford.

Goolsby watched as Alford spun back towards the basket and released the ball with two seconds left on the clock. When the ball was in the air, Goolsby said he was thinking, ‘please let this go in.’

“One thing about this young lady (Alford) is that she had got ice water in her veins,” Goolsby said. “She doesn’t let the pressure get to her. She savors the moment and she didn’t hesitate at all.”

Getting to play in Macon

The comeback win has given the team the opportunity to play for the state championship in Macon. Bibb County Schools will release high school students at noon on Thursday so they can attend the 2 p.m. game.

Barney Hester, Bibb County athletic director, said the team getting to play in Macon makes it special for the city.

“Being in this city, our team playing, I am expecting that place to be packed at 2 o’clock on Thursday afternoon not just with Southwest fans but Macon fans,” Hester said. “Macon-Bibb County is proud of what Southwest is doing. … We are prideful of what we do in this district.”

Hester is no stranger to state championships. He won 11 as the head football coach at Tattnall. He knows better than anyone what Goolsby is feeling in the lead up to the title game. Hester said Goolsby has already established himself as a great coach regardless of the outcome on Friday because of the impact he has had on players over the years.

“You devote your career trying to not only win state championships but make a difference in athletes’ lives on and off the court,” Hester said. “For me to see the smiles on players, to see the excitement from our students, to see the excitement from our fans just made everything that I put into it when I was a coach worthwhile.”

Getting to the state title game hasn’t been easy for Southwest, and the team still has to beat Douglass to claim the championship.

Douglass won the 2019 title and wants to be the back-to-back champion.

The end result won’t change how proud Goolsby is of his players and what they’ve accomplished together.

“It has meant a whole lot. I just thank the good lord for just sustaining me for this moment. One of our goals is always to get to state,” Goolsby said. “Win, lose or draw, we have had a great season and I am really proud of these kids.”