The Hughes era is over at Fort Worth Dunbar. What is next for the boys basketball team?

Fort Worth Dunbar basketball has been synonymous with the Hughes name for decades.

The legendary Robert Hughes started his coaching tenure at Dunbar in 1973 following a 15-year run with I.M. Terrell High School. Hughes created an incredible legacy, recording a 1,333-265 career record before retiring in 2005 as the nation’s all time leader in wins.

Hughes’ accomplishments are unparalleled: five state championships and 35 district championships. In 2017, Hughes was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Although Robert Hughes retired from coaching, the Hughes name stayed prominent at Dunbar High School. Robert Hughes Jr. took over the reigns as head coach, and held job until the 2022 season.

Hughes Jr. led the Dunbar Wildcats to state tournaments in the 2006, 2007 and 2016 seasons. Dunbar lost the 2006 state championship to South Oak Cliff but was awarded the title two years later due to an ineligible SOC player.

Prior to the 2022 season, Hughes Jr. was placed on administrative leave and received a citation from police for assault by offensive contact.

Swarn Lacy, a former Dunbar basketball player who played under Hughes Sr. from 1992 to 1995, was hired to coach the team in Hughes Jr.’s absence.

“He taught us how to be dedicated,” Lacy said of is time playing under Hughes Sr. “We work, work, work, work.”

Although the job was thought to be temporary, Lacy is now the permanent head coach of Dunbar boy’s basketball.

The state of Dunbar basketball

Lacy is in his second season as head coach of Dunbar boys basketball. The Wildcats are in a great position to make the playoffs and are second in District 9-4A with two losses against the TABC’s No. 1 ranked Class 4A boys basketball team, Fort Worth Eastern Hills.

There was a competitive 52-45 loss. In the second game, the Highlanders won 74-52, pulling away in the second half.

Lacy said Dunbar basketball “didn’t show up” and he wasn’t only talking about their on the court effort. Dunbar was playing shorthanded with only seven players available.

Eastern Hills outlasted the Wildcats, keeping the energy high with fast break buckets and persistent defense.

“They’ve got to buy in,” Lacy said of his team. “That’s why we’ve only got seven players right now. The culture was so bad when I took over. They’ve got to buy in and be consistent, so we can get back in the gym and start working.”

Lacy, who played collegiate ball at Grayson Junior College and Texas A&M Commerce, said he is working toward getting Dunbar back to where it was when he was a player under Hughes Sr.

“They say Rome wasn’t built overnight,” Lacy said. “I’m trying to get it back. Trying to get the right attitude and everything so we can get back to where we need to be.”

Lacy he had never heard of kids missing practice or games, especially considering he came up under the legendary Hughes. He added that the times we’re living in are different than the times he played Texas high school basketball.

Lacy said he’s working to improve the culture, so the student athletes take basketball and the process it takes to win more seriously. He added it’s important for the players to be dedicated because of the opportunities high school athletics provides and the life lessons it teaches.

“We’re about teaching discipline,” Lacy said. “Teaching how to be a team. Teaching how to persevere. Most of all, it’s just discipline. … It’s a recipe. You’ve got to get up every morning for practice, so when you go into life you’re used to it. When you face hard times, you won’t quit. That’s the easy thing to do, is quit.”

Dunbar may have two losses to Eastern Hills, but the team is still in control of its own postseason destiny. Last season, in Lacy’s first year as head coach, the team lost to South Oak Cliff in the area round.

Now, they’ll start prepping to potentially make a deeper run in the 2024 season. Eastern Hills, however, is the only state title favorite out of District 9-4A.

“It’s coming,” Lacy said after Dunbar’s loss to Eastern Hills. “Trust me, it’s coming. We’re all competitors. I’m going to take my lumps as a man, but trust me. We’re coming back.”

Dunbar has five regular season games remaining until the playoffs commence. The Wildcats’ next matchup is against Fort Worth Western Hills on Tuesday at Wilkerson-Greines Athletic Center. Tipoff is at 8 p.m.