By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Justin Cousin was bothered when he heard about the decline in fortunes for many of Graham’s sports teams, particularly boys’ basketball.
Now the school’s all-time leading scorer will have a chance to do something about that.
Cousin, a 2012 graduate, has been hired as the school’s next coach.
“The timing was perfect,” he said. “It’s good that I can be the one to get the ball rolling and turn the tide around here. Graham hasn’t had the success that we’ve had in the past, so I want to be the one to come help change that.”
Earlier this century, Graham had some powerhouse teams playing in front of capacity crowds. Those are what Cousin remembers fondly.
“It still smells the same. It still looks the same,” he said during an interview in the gym lobby. “Full-circle moment for sure.”
Cousin played under coach Mike Williams at Graham, racking up 1,997 points in high school and then spent a season in the Air Force Academy’s prep school before five seasons in Radford’s program. His final college game was in the 2018 NCAA Tournament against Villanova in Pittsburgh. From there, he played professionally in New Zealand.
“I had been running from coaching for a long time because I knew once I got into coaching that would mean my playing career was over,” he said.
He didn’t return overseas because of the pandemic. Instead, he helped coach with his father’s Mid-State Magic travel program, reconnecting with college coaches who were recruiting at those tournaments.
That led to a graduate assistant position at Radford and from there he spent two seasons in a similar role at Georgia, where he earned a master’s degree in nonprofit management and leadership. During the 2024-25 season, he was the assistant coach with Wabash Valley College, a two-year school in Mount Carmel, Illinois.
He learned about the opening at Graham, which had multiple coaches the past few seasons.
“When I was out in Illinois, one of the parents of one of the guys on the team reached out to me,” he said. “I had been praying for an opportunity to come closer to home. I guess that was the answer to my prayer.
“It doesn’t get closer to home than home.”
His hiring at Graham was approved earlier this spring, but he needed to finish commitments at Wabash Valley College through May. He also mourned for his grandmother, Joann Cousin, who died May 27.
“She was my biggest fan here back when I played,” he said.
Looking for a turnaround
Graham’s basketball troubles included a 2-20 record during the past season. That marked the seventh season in a row that the Red Devils haven’t exceeded the eight-win level.
“Every time I come home and talk about high school sports, we’ve been at the bottom,” Cousin said. “And I don’t like that for my alma mater.”
Graham athletics director Kyle Ward, a former girls’ and boys’ basketball coach, said Cousin’s deep roots in the program should be a plus.
“We’re hoping he can turn it around,” Ward said.
The new coach’s father, Rod Cousin, has been recovering from a stroke, but he wants to lend a hand with the Red Devils.
Further, Justin Cousin said it would be ideal for past Graham basketball players to become involved with the program and help boost morale and connections with players.
“I feel like it’s a great time for greats from the past to come through and impart their knowledge on to the next generation,” he said.
Cousin, 31, will take a to-be-determined teaching position at Graham. He said he wants players to see him at times when they’re not in the gym to cultivate relationships.
“I would like to be super hands-on, and I would like to see the guys during the day,” he said. “I feel like as a coach it’s important for your players to see your duality. If they only saw how intense I was and how demanding I was on the court, it would be harder for them to accept me and to know that I really have their best interests at heart and that I care for them. It’s important for them to see that second side of me.”
