Quran “Coach Q” Pettyjohn PHOTO PROVIDED

Gateway High School’s new head basketball coach is Quran “Coach Q” Pettyjohn.

Coach Q is a well-known for his coaching success at other schools in Lehigh Acres and Lee County.

Pettyjohn and his wife also started the Lehigh Acres Blue Devil Basketball team, a travel program that’s Junior NBA and USA basketball affiliated. The Blue Devils are sponsored by Adidas and are a college prep program where the players can potentially earn college scholarships.

According to Pettyjohn, this opportunity will open the doors to his greater vision.

“Several coaches had submitted applications and then they narrowed it down to me. I’m very excited about the opportunity. This will help me fulfill my mission on a wider spectrum and that’s being able to teach life lessons to these kids. Life lessons that can be used on and off the courts,” Pettyjohn said.

Last year in 2019, the Lehigh Acres Blue Devils third through eighth grade basketball teams competed in the US Amateur Basketball State Championship Tournament. The Devils third grade team won the state championship for their grade in their first season together.

As head coach at Gateway, Pettyjohn will build upon his success leading the Blue Devil’s travel program and his tenure as assistant coach helping to mold the basketball program at Lehigh High School.

“I plan to remain the director of the Lehigh Acres Blue Devils and remain head coach at Hammock Middle School as well. I have coached at that school for the last four years,” Pettyjohn said. At Gateway I will be building the program from the ground up. We’ll start off with just one team, which will include Freshman and JV.”

Gateway High School was originally projected to be finished in April 2021, but could be finished months sooner. Until completion, the Gateway student body will spend the 2020-21 school year in portable classrooms at Lehigh Senior High.

“Our first wave of freshmen will be the leads at the school and help build the new basketball program,” Pettyjohn said.

For more information on Gateway High School and its teams visit ghs.leeschools.net/. For info on Lehigh Acres Blue Devils visit www.lehighbluedevils.com