IMAGE GALLERY: Billion Dollar Coach

The billionaire part of this life was put in the back seat.   Justice as the head coach of the Greenbrier East High School girl's basketball team was at the Charleston Civic Center working on plans and strategies to make the Spartans into state champions.

Not at easy task.   The saying goes, anything can happen at state tournament time."   Number one seeds can fall,  teams with 20 point leads become losers and the unexpected happens.   To win state championships  everything has to fall into place like no injuries,  right calls,  some breaks,  right frame of mind and maybe  some luck is involved.

Everything fell into place in 2012 for Coach Justice and Greenbrier East.   The Spartans were seeded number three.  On Thursday they met the number six seed Huntington High and won 66-55.  On Friday there was the 58-54 win over George Washington that was the seventh seed.    On Saturday  Greenbrier East came back again to win over number one seeded Bridgeport 52-47 to win the state championship.

The last time  Greenbrier East won the girl's state basketball championship was in 1981  when they won  over Parkersburg 35-33.   Greenbrier East was runner-up to state champion South Charleston in 2004. Bridgeport  came out with some  impressive three point shooting to take a 30-29 point lead at the intermission.   Bridgeport was 7-14 in three pointers for 50%.  Coach Justice made some defensive adjustments and held Bridgeport to 3-11 three pointers for 27.3% in the last half of the game.    The Spartans  held Bridgeport to four points in the fourth period while scoring 11 points to win the game 52-47.

Coach Justice said,  "We played a great team.    We played a well coached team.   You try to put a defense on them to prevent those shots,  but you are playing a team that can make them.  We weathered their punch." He continued," We believe if we can get the game close at the end we are going to win it.  That was a terrific basketball tonight and we were fortunate to win.  Once we get in control it is tough to beat us."

Commenting about being named to the Forbes Billionaire list and winning the Class AAA state championship he said, "The last thing on earth I want to be known for is trying to scuff up a pile of money.  A lady in Beckley used to say Jim is as common as an old shoe.  That is what I am.   I have no ambition of piling up a pile of gold and stirring it." 

"My ambition is to do goodness for our state.   Should we not be tired of being 50th over and over.   I want to create jobs and do positive things for our state.  I want that to be my legacy."

 "I want to coach a basketball team.   I want to coach two basketball teams.   (Justice is also head coach of the Greenbrier East boy's basketball team) It takes a lot of energy.   These kids make you young."  

"I am sixty years old.  I don't need any more gold rings for me.    I wanted this  more for them, the kids and our community.  Our community is unbelieveable on how they support me and our teams."

"It goes back to the supporting of our state.  We are a rural community and kind of an underdog.  West Virginia is kind of an underdog.   Winning a state championship is wonderful and everything else.  I want all the accolades to go to them and our community.  I don't need these things for me."

During the award ceremony Coach Justice held the state championship trophy up and  showed it to the crowd.   They responded with much applause and cheering.   He said, " That was a salute to them.  This team has been great and has a great team chemistry together.  It has been an honor to be with them.  I told them nothing compares to our glue and chemistry."

Coach Justice with a young team  that has one senior this year has confidence for next year too.   "We are not only going to return next year we are winning it."

What does  a billionaire coach and state champion do to celebrate?

Coach Justice said,  "I will probably take my family out to Wendy's and get a Wendy burger."

"After I bought the Greenbrier we went to Wendy's. "