By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
B.J. Curtis found a quick path to become a high school head coach, taking the position with the Williams baseball team.
Curtis, a 2006 Graham High School graduate, spent the past season as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs.
“It was a pretty easy decision for me,” Curtis said of taking the promotion. “The kids are awesome.”
Curtis takes over for Ju’Juan Lacewell-Cason, who directed the Bulldogs to their first conference championship in 14 years during the past spring. Lacewell-Cason resigned to accept another baseball-related job after spending two seasons as the Williams coach.
“Two years and very blessed,” Lacewell-Cason said. “We have something we can be proud of.”
Williams, which won the Mid-Carolina Conference, ended with a 14-8 record. Curtis was in his first season as Lacewell-Cason’s assistant coach.
A 10-game winning streak to conclude the regular season created what might have looked like an improbable surge for the Bulldogs.
“Turning the year round in the season was definitely worth it,” Lacewell-Cason said.
Lacewell-Cason was hired at Williams shortly before the 2025 season and the Bulldogs went 7-12 that year.
Curtis, 37, joined the coaching staff for this year. He’s owner of Monster Movers, a Burlington moving company.
Curtis, who played for North Carolina A&T after high school, said he has been inclined to step into coach beyond instructing at the youth levels.
“It’s something I talked about for a long time,” Curtis said. “Just finding the right fit. This year was my first year coaching at the high school level.”
At Graham, Curtis was an older teammate of Bob Grant, who’s now Williams athletics director. He’s also kin to area baseball-playing families Atwaters and Morrows, who are mostly associated with Southern Alamance.
Former Williams player Dustin Hurdle will be an assistant coach for Curtis.
When the 2027 season begins, Curtis will be the fourth Williams baseball coach in a five-year span. The Bulldogs could have six of nine 2026 starters on board for next season.
Among other returning players is rising sophomore outfielder Jeremiah Curtis, the new coach’s son.
What’s next for Lacewell-Cason?
Lacewell-Cason has taken a position with The Battery Training Academy, which is a business in Gastonia dedicated to development of baseball and softball players.
“It will definitely be different,” Lacewell-Cason said. “Still be able to give back to the youth.”
Wiliams’ Grant said he was surprised by Lacewell-Cason’s departure.
Lacewell-Cason had worked overnight shifts for FedEx out of Greensboro, often going to that job immediately after Williams games.
“It was something so I don’t have to work late anymore,” he said of taking a new job. “It was sad I had to leave. . . a blessing in disguise.”
Lacewell-Cason said the job opportunity in Gastonia stemmed from connections he had during his college playing days as an outfielder at nearby Belmont Abbey. He said he’ll live in Charlotte.
