Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
For generations of children growing up in Logan, playing basketball for Willie Akers was more than a goal – it was a dream woven into the fabric of the community.
“When you’re a little boy born in this town in the ’70s, ’60s or whatever, you dreamed of playing for Coach Akers and Logan High School basketball,” Logan basketball coach Mark Hatcher said. “That was just a dream that every little boy had.”
Now, the community Akers spent decades serving is remembering the coach, educator and public servant who became synonymous with Logan basketball after Akers died Tuesday at the age of 89.
Akers’ legacy stretched well beyond the Logan High School field house. Before becoming a coaching legend, he played basketball at West Virginia University alongside Jerry West, including on the Mountaineers’ 1959 team that reached the NCAA championship game.
For some, that connection remains an important part of his story.
“There’s probably two different types,” former player Mike Stone said. “There’s those that think of him as Jerry West’s best friend. But then again, there are those that think of him with the legacy that he left here at Logan High School.”
It was in Logan that Akers built a legacy of his own. As Logan High School’s basketball coach, Akers won more than 400 games and four state championships. His former players, however, remember a coach whose expectations extended far beyond wins and losses.
“He expected us to represent our community well,” former player Scott Ellis said. “He expected good things out of us. He didn’t want us to get in any trouble and made sure we didn’t.”
Akers could be demanding.
“If he would ask us to run through a wall, we would have tried it,” Ellis said.
But former players say the toughness came from a coach who cared deeply about them and the community they represented.
“He was a part of this community from the top to the bottom, not just Logan High School basketball,” Hatcher said.
Akers also spent his career as an educator, eventually moving into administrative roles. His public service continued outside the school system when he served as a Logan County commissioner.
“He was a very intelligent individual,” Stone said. “He could get things done. He knew what needed to get done.”
Even after Hatcher took over the Logan basketball program, Akers remained close to the Wildcats. Hatcher recalled walking through the door just days ago and hearing Akers immediately ask about the team.
“‘Hey Hatch, how’s the team doing?’” Hatcher recalled Akers saying. “That’s his first words were, ‘How’s the team doing?’ Not worried about himself, he was worried about our team and how we’re looking.”
Akers was also quick to remind those around the program that Logan basketball was bigger than any coach or player.
“He always made a comment that nothing was bigger than Logan basketball – him, me, any player that ever played here,” Hatcher said. “But to be honest with you, he was Logan basketball.”
Now, the players he coached, the people he mentored and the community he served are left to carry that legacy forward.
Hatcher said Akers’ place in Logan history is difficult to overstate.
“A great son of West Virginia, a great son of WVU,” Hatcher said. “If you had a Mount Rushmore for Logan, he would be on our Mount Rushmore for sure.”
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For generations of children growing up in Logan, playing basketball for Willie Akers was more than a goal – it was a dream woven into the fabric of the community.
“When you’re a little boy born in this town in the ’70s, ’60s or whatever, you dreamed of playing for Coach Akers and Logan High School basketball,” Logan basketball coach Mark Hatcher said. “That was just a dream that every little boy had.”
Now, the community Akers spent decades serving is remembering the coach, educator and public servant who became synonymous with Logan basketball after Akers died Tuesday at the age of 89.
Akers’ legacy stretched well beyond the Logan High School field house. Before becoming a coaching legend, he played basketball at West Virginia University alongside Jerry West, including on the Mountaineers’ 1959 team that reached the NCAA championship game.
For some, that connection remains an important part of his story.
“There’s probably two different types,” former player Mike Stone said. “There’s those that think of him as Jerry West’s best friend. But then again, there are those that think of him with the legacy that he left here at Logan High School.”
It was in Logan that Akers built a legacy of his own. As Logan High School’s basketball coach, Akers won more than 400 games and four state championships. His former players, however, remember a coach whose expectations extended far beyond wins and losses.
“He expected us to represent our community well,” former player Scott Ellis said. “He expected good things out of us. He didn’t want us to get in any trouble and made sure we didn’t.”
Akers could be demanding.
“If he would ask us to run through a wall, we would have tried it,” Ellis said.
But former players say the toughness came from a coach who cared deeply about them and the community they represented.
“He was a part of this community from the top to the bottom, not just Logan High School basketball,” Hatcher said.
Akers also spent his career as an educator, eventually moving into administrative roles. His public service continued outside the school system when he served as a Logan County commissioner.
“He was a very intelligent individual,” Stone said. “He could get things done. He knew what needed to get done.”
Even after Hatcher took over the Logan basketball program, Akers remained close to the Wildcats. Hatcher recalled walking through the door just days ago and hearing Akers immediately ask about the team.
“‘Hey Hatch, how’s the team doing?’” Hatcher recalled Akers saying. “That’s his first words were, ‘How’s the team doing?’ Not worried about himself, he was worried about our team and how we’re looking.”
Akers was also quick to remind those around the program that Logan basketball was bigger than any coach or player.
“He always made a comment that nothing was bigger than Logan basketball – him, me, any player that ever played here,” Hatcher said. “But to be honest with you, he was Logan basketball.”
Now, the players he coached, the people he mentored and the community he served are left to carry that legacy forward.
Hatcher said Akers’ place in Logan history is difficult to overstate.
“A great son of West Virginia, a great son of WVU,” Hatcher said. “If you had a Mount Rushmore for Logan, he would be on our Mount Rushmore for sure.”
_________________________________________
Follow WCHS on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/eyewitnessnewscharleston
Twitter: twitter.com/wchs8fox11
Instagram: instagram.com/wchs8fox11
For the latest local and national news, visit our website: wchstv.com
Sign up for our newsletter: wchstv.com/sign-up
