When you attend a Vandal basketball game this season, you may notice some new memorabilia up on the wall. New plaques and jerseys have been hung to highlight successful Vandal athletes throughout the years. Near the entrance to the home stands, two jerseys hang high — one for Brandon Roberts, and one for Jermie Calhoun.
Brandon Roberts graduated from Van High School in 2005 and was a senior on the State Champion basketball team that same year. Among his honors as a Vandal, Roberts was named District 15AAA MVP, 1st Team All-State, All State Championship Game MVP, Academic All-State, and East Texas MVP.
He recalls his favorite memory as a Vandal to be “that day down there winning state. It was pure joy, but also relief. I say relief, because we created that expectation of winning state and then we did it.”
Roberts still remembers the crowds that came from all over to watch their journey to the big game in Austin.
“There wasn’t really social media back then, but we had this cult-like following around our team for whatever reason, even with other towns following us,” Roberts said. “When we got back from winning state, the whole town was here waiting for us, and then there were people from other towns, too! It was like we had created a fan base outside of Van, which was really neat.”
When asked if a specific teacher or coach left an impact on him in his time as a Van Vandal, Roberts noted that Coach Jeff Hutchins did just that. “Coach Hutchins was a leader, and was somebody that would challenge us in subtle ways.”
Roberts will never forget what his years in the red and white taught him: “I loved basketball, but I learned that it was never just about basketball for me. It was about winning. I love winning and I love competing.”
Jermie Calhoun graduated from Van High School in 2008 and was a freshman on that same State Champion basketball team. He attributes a lot of who he is today from watching the upperclassmen work hard to achieve the state title. “That team was just different,” Calhoun said. “Everyone knew their role. They taught me how to work hard for the rest of my high school career. Seeing how hard each of them worked, even outside of practice, changed the way I viewed things. I felt like I was unstoppable, and that I could outwork anyone.”
Calhoun also remembers winning the State Championship in 2005 as one of his favorite memories as a Vandal. While competing, Calhoun earned the honor of Texas Class 3A Player of the Year in football, and he was well-known as the top running back in the nation at the time.
Three staff members had a significant impact on Calhoun while he was a student: Coach Pennington, Mrs. Perrilyn Moore, and Mr. Bill Giles. “A lot of the things Coach Pennington instilled in us, I’ve carried on throughout my life. As far as Mrs. Moore and Mr. Giles, they helped me a lot, without them, I would not have made it to OU,” Calhoun said.
Today, Jermie and his family are back in Van and he owns an athletic performance center, Rebirth Performance, where he trains both kids and adults. Carrying on what he learned from his own experience, Calhoun said, “We try to teach our kids that we train that if they want something, they have to work for it. They can’t just sit on the couch and pray that it’s going to come, they have to put themselves in the fire every day and work for it.” Roberts agreed, saying, “I think it’s a testament to Jermie, who he is as a father, and a leader. I mean, when I drive by in the mornings, I see him up early working, and I see him in the evenings still working with those kids, and not everyone does that.”
It is always a goal that what Vandals learn while they attend Van ISD will help them to be successful later on in life, too. Jermie Calhoun and Brandon Roberts are prime examples of what achieving that goal looks like.
