The greatest calling: LCCC Women’s Basketball Coach Brandon Lawler

One wrong decision. That’s all Brandon Lawler says it would have taken for his life to have turned out drastically different.

Today, Lawler is the Parks and Recreation Supervisor for the City of Elyria, where he manages the recreation center schedules and supervises the youth and adult sports programs. He’s also head coach of the women’s basketball team at Lorain County Community College. Lawler holds an associate degree in criminal justice from LCCC, a bachelor’s degree in theology from Holy Cross College, and is working toward his master’s degree in African American church studies through the Ashland Theological Seminary.

Brandon Lawler

Lawler feels blessed these days.

“I have a beautiful wife and five amazing children,” he says. “I have also found purpose within the community to provide for them.”

But it’s a life path Lawler never imagined possible growing up in Euclid. He dropped out of high school when he was 16, after his first son was born, and filled his spare time playing basketball at the YMCA. He couldn’t afford to join any of the programs, but he showed up anyway.

“I would sit on the sideline, and I would just watch them play,” Lawler say of a group of men who played basketball together. “I would sit there watching for hours, hoping to get in for one game when they got tired.”

Those men became mentors, alongside Lawler’s grandfather. And they all saw potential in Lawler’s game.

“Some of them kept telling me that I had some real talent, and they would ask if I was going to play anywhere,” Lawler says.

Without his high school diploma, college felt like wishful thinking. But he knew education was part of the life path he wanted to be on. So, Lawler completed the courses for his GED and passed the exam.

“I considered that moment ‘The Great Fresh Start,’” he says.

A community college becomes home

Lawler chose LCCC for his entry into higher education and collegiate basketball. Still living in Euclid, LCCC was the furthest from his home and an environment where he never felt good about himself academically. He began playing varsity basketball in his first year while working toward an associate degree in criminal justice.

“I was still figuring out what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to impact the community. I thought I could as a probation office or a counselor,” Lawler says.

While attending a Lorain County career fair on campus, Lawler met the superintendent for the Lorain County Juvenile Detention Home. Lawler was hired as a juvenile detention officer and began working with local pre-teens and teenagers.

“I saw myself in those kids at the detention home; I was one wrong decision away from being there,” he says.

Lawler knew he was making a difference working at the detention home. So, when he was recruited by the basketball team at Holy Cross College, a brother school of the University of Notre Dame, and offered a full ride, he felt torn. He didn’t want to leave. But then Lawler thought about the greater impact he could have on Lorain County and its youth with the life experiences he would gain.

“Before I left, I told myself I was getting an education and expertise to bring back home to make Lorain County better,” he says.

Coming full circle 

Lawler says attending Holy Cross was absolutely the right choice for him.

“It allowed me to develop myself as an athlete,” he says. “It deepened my understanding of what it means to be a part of college athletics and academics.”

There, he earned his bachelor’s degree in theology and a minor in psychology. And then, Lawler fulfilled his promise to Lorain County and came back home. In 2021, he began his current role as Parks and Recreation Supervisor for the City of Elyria.

“Providing premier programs at an affordable price is a dream come true, because I know the importance of recreation,” he says.

Lawler is also back on the basketball court. In May 2024, he became head coach for LCCC’s women’s basketball team.

“We have a good group of young ladies who care about each other,” Lawler says of the team. “They understand that it’s not about the individual success, but the overall success of the team.”

To Lawler, basketball will never be simply a sport. To him, it will always be one part of his greatest life callings in life, just below faith and family. And to be coaching at LCCC, feels like home.

“I understand what it means to play basketball here,” Lawler says. “I believe in it. It worked for me. In a way, I came to LCCC and I never left.”