WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Every time Lakota West senior guard Isaiah Meade-Moss steps onto the basketball court, he is grateful.
“It’s super special,” Meade-Moss said. “Not every kid gets to spend their high school career being coached by their dad. So I try not to take it for granted.”
Lakota West boys basketball coach Kelven Moss — Isaiah’s dad — is in his second season with the Firebirds. It’s also the second season he’s coached his son.
“Our first year was pretty tough,” Coach Moss said. “I think that we didn’t know how to communicate when we got home — the basketball piece and him understanding that I just want to push him to greatness and him not being defensive and taking things personal.”
However, this season — a winter in which the team has a strong bond — is much different.
“This year we really tried to keep it in between the lines,” Coach Moss said. “And when I’m at home it’s more teaching. It’s just teaching him the game because he has aspirations of being a college basketball player.”
WATCH: Father and son share special basketball bond
Meade-Moss, 17, is a starter on one of the top teams in the Greater Miami Conference this season. Lakota West (12-4, 8-3 GMC) plays at Princeton (12-4, 10-1 GMC) in a marquee matchup Friday night.
Father and son keep the balance basketball and family at the West Chester home.
“We both love basketball so being able to do it with him — it’s been great,” Isaiah said. “He treats me just like any other player. I know he wants me to be great at the end of the day so I’ve loved it so far.”
And it’s not just basketball that Isaiah has learned from his dad.
“I probably just say he’s taught me how to be a good human being first of all,” Isaiah said. “Just being polite, being nice to others. Because I see it every day. He’s being nice to others and it’s always coming back to him in a good way.”
Coach Moss and Isaiah are also grateful for the support of Marie Meade, Isaiah's mother, and Lindsey Moss, Kelven's wife.
"I'm saying this super humbly that me and my wife and his mother have done a great job with him and I'm super proud of him," Moss said.
Coach Moss said he wants to be a good example to Isaiah. Father and son enjoy watching the Cincinnati Bengals and Ohio State football games together. They also enjoy watching sports at a local restaurant.
“I want to show him what a good husband looks like, what a good father looks like,” Coach Moss said. “So this means a lot to me. “I try not to get emotional just because I grew up without a mom or a dad. And I was raised by my grandmother so I’m passionate about being a father.”
