Cory Duke remembers when he received the phone call about an obstacle that could have derailed the big dreams of his Democracy Prep boys basketball team.

Around 1 p.m. on a Sunday, Duke and his family had just gotten out of church when his phone rang. A pipe from a water fountain in the gym had burst and flooded the gym.

Less than 24 hours earlier, he had coached his team in a scrimmage against Losee, serving as the final tune-up before the start of the season. Initially, Duke wasn’t worried. Then he showed up at the scene the next day.

“When I got to school, the court had started to lift off the foundation. That’s when I knew we were in a bad spot,” Duke said.

The court that was the setting for one of the best home atmospheres in the state was gone, leaving Democracy Prep without a home as it prepared to make a jump to Class 5A.

The obstacle was another round of adversity for the program, so Duke’s confidence wasn’t rattled.

“I know that we’re going to come out of this and we’re going to come out of it better,” Duke said. “Any adversity that we’ve dealt with since we got here, we’ve always found a way to figure it out and we’ve done that together.”

Democracy Prep (13-12) has weathered the storm of another adversity-filled season. The Blue Knights were the No. 5 seed heading into the 5A state tournament and opened at No. 4 Desert Pines in a state quarterfinal.

“Going through what we went through, especially with these guys that have been here a really long time, there is a toughness and a grit to these guys that is unmatched of any kind that I’ve been around,” Duke said.

The K-12 charter school is nestled in the Historic Westside of Las Vegas and houses roughly 300 high school students. Doolittle Community Center, a longstanding fixture in the area, stepped up to house Democracy Prep’s home basketball games and most of the team’s practices.

As expected, there were ups and downs with the unexpected disruption of Democracy Prep losing its gym and playing in the top classification, which included starting out 0-3 in league play. But the Blue Knights enter the state tournament having won four of their past five games.

“We just stuck together,” said senior guard Mario Allen, a three-year varsity player. “If we had to play away games all year or we had Doolittle — it was out of our control. We couldn’t change anything that happened. We just had to move forward with it and just stay together.”

‘Be successful through adversity’

After being upset in the 3A state semifinals last February, Democracy Prep turned its attention to next season and looking to move up to 5A and play powerhouse programs like Bishop Gorman, Coronado and Liberty.

The school’s appeal to go to 5A was approved in February 2025 to go from 3A, jump 4A and go into 5A. The decision and process was one of the more easier moments the program has experienced over the past five seasons.

Duke was hired by Democracy Prep in 2020, but there was no high school season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Knights reached the 2A state semifinals the next year.

Then came an announcement from assistant Mark Coleman that rocked the program. Coleman told the team in September 2022 that he had Stage 4 prostate cancer.

“He was a mentor of mine and my best friend,” Duke said. “I knew that no matter what, we had to find a way to get it done. I was really motivated, but our motivation went to a level that I don’t think anybody was going to stop us that year.”

Duke said he had hoped Coleman would have made it to coach in the playoffs to try and win a state title, but Coleman died on Feb. 4, 2023.

“We comforted our brothers. We were all grieving,” senior guard Kaden Lea said, a four-year varsity player. “After that, we knew what Coach Coleman wanted us to do. We went out there and played our hearts out.”

Democracy Prep would knock off reigning champion The Meadows, after losing to the Mustangs three times previously that season, and won the 2A title.

“We had to be even closer during the hard times,” said Tai Coleman, a four-year varsity player and Mark’s son. “We felt like if we had each other’s backs, nobody could stop us.”

Looking to win a second straight title, now in 3A, it appeared Democracy Prep would be having its “Last Dance” when the charter school announced during the season it would be closing its high school at the end of the school year.

There were a few weeks of uncertainty around the campus, but a few weeks later, the school announced it had received additional funding to keep the high school open. Democracy Prep went on to defeat 3A rival Mater East in a thriller in Reno for its second straight title.

“That’s kind of how we’ve attacked everything since Coach Mark, is there’s nothing that can happen to us that we haven’t dealt with and that we can’t get through and not only get through, but be successful through adversity,” Duke said.

‘One big community’

Danai Young is in his first season as Democracy Prep’s athletic director, and he was looking forward to the electric home basketball games.

Young, also the football coach, spent one season as an assistant football coach in 2021 and got a taste of the sense of community on the Westside. So he knew he could ask the people across the street at Doolittle for help.

“That has been a blessing,” Young said of having Doolittle. “We didn’t know what we were going to do. I came over and I said, ‘Hey, our gym flooded, this is our issue.’ They didn’t blink. ‘Yes, whatever you need from us, we’ll do.’”

Young said the NIAA needed to come over and approve the court, make sure the shot clock was functioning and there was enough space for fans and team benches.

“(Doolittle is) connected with us and they’re connected with the school. … It feels like one big community,” Allen said.

Many days, the team has to practice on half a court, with a giant blue divider splitting the court with the girls’ team on one half and the boys on the other.

On days where they do have a full court, the fast-paced, up-tempo Blue Knights can practice its transition offense and how set up on defense for the talented teams in 5A with the team’s tallest player being 6-foot-5.

“What’s so impressive is I can honestly say I have not had one guy make an excuse or gripe about this situation,” Duke said. “Not one guy. We’re used to this kind of stuff.”

On practice days, the team checks in with the community center to confirm the time the morning of practice with other events and arrangements on the two full courts in the center. Democracy Prep has also utilized Stupak Community Center, roughly a 10-minute drive from the school.

“We’re not going to make excuses for the facilities or what we have or don’t have,” said Duke, who leaned on assistants Leonard Benjamin, Darington Hobson, DaJuan Harris and Parrish Flanders to help maximize the practice time the team has.

Young said the gym is expected to be completed by the summer. Games at Doolittle aren’t quite the same in the larger seating capacity gym on the school’s campus, but the team still feels the same support from the community.

“I’m still blessed and happy that everybody from the Westside, (Democracy Prep), from all over, still shows support and comes to the games,” Tai Coleman said. “That shows love and we still need it. That’s a blessing because you don’t get that (support) all the time or you see fake love a lot. But it’s all real.”

‘We became brothers’

Democracy Prep had to work in several transfers when school started with a few months to get ready for a grueling nonconference schedule.

“We grew a brothership,” said junior Ien Kirkland, one of the newcomers. “We grew closer together every single day, and that helped us through all the hard times. We started off coming to this team as a whole bunch of individuals, but at the end of the day, we became brothers.”

It started at the Tarkanian Classic, where Democracy Prep reached the title game in the “Spalding Bracket,” and fell to California power JSerra Catholic 68-64 in the final.

Then came a taxing nine-day road trip where the Blue Knights played in consecutive tournaments in California and Arizona over the winter break. All 12 varsity players, Duke, his wife and son, piled into a van and ventured to Palm Springs, California, on Dec. 26 for a tournament.

The Palm Springs Classic ended with Democracy Prep going 1-4 in the tournament and after its game on Dec. 30, the van reloaded for a game the next night in the Nike Tournament of Champions Phoenix.

In Arizona, Democracy Prep won the “Saguaro Division” bracket title by defeating Canyon (California) 74-65 to win the title, bringing back a cactus trophy to the school.

“It was brutal in all the right ways,” Duke said. “Wouldn’t change it for the world, may not do it that way every year, but it prepared us.”

Right after defeating Canyon, the van was packed up and the team made the trip home, returning after 2 a.m. and ending a trip where all 12 players spent over a week together.

“(Our chemistry) got better when we were out of town for those nine days going back and forth from California to Arizona,” sophomore guard Dashaun Harris said. “From the start of the year, our team chemistry has gotten better. You can tell (when we are) playing on the court.”

‘Challenge ourselves’

Democracy Prep had over a week off once returning home, which was much-needed as the flu ran through the team. On the first practice back from the road trip on Jan. 7, the team was left with nine healthy players during a practice on half a court.

The rust from the long break was evident in the team’s first league game. Hosting Desert Pines on Jan. 13, Democracy Prep trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, got within a basket with under three minutes left, but fell 75-69.

The next night against Coronado was a heartbreaker with Democracy Prep holding a 51-49 lead with a chance to seal the win with under a minute left. But a turnover led to a Coronado basket, and the Blue Knights gave up another basket with seconds remaining in overtime to fall 62-60.

Gorman and Liberty also were close contests. At Gorman, Democracy Prep trailed by double digits most of the first half, but got within a point in the fourth quarter and lost 61-57. Against Liberty, the two teams were tied at halftime 33-33, but a rough third quarter gave the Patriots a 76-66 win.

“We knew those games every night (in 5A), you’re going against great coaches and great players,” Duke said. “The main reason why we wanted to go is because we’re always looking to challenge ourselves here.”

Things turned a corner after starting 1-4 in league play, with Democracy Prep winning its final three games. Democracy Prep defeated Mojave 72-59 on Feb. 4 to clinch the No. 5 seed in the state tournament on the three-year anniversary of Mark Coleman’s passing.

‘Product of our environment’

Democracy Prep has seven boys basketball state titles, which include five between a stretch from 2011 to 2018 in 2A. The basketball success of the program, then known as Agassi Prep, put the school on the map.

A winning boys and girls basketball program, that is a 5A state title contender, made Democracy Prep’s gym the mecca on the Westside every home game. Screaming students from the K-12 school would rattle opponents. And good luck finding a seat.

“When it gets loud, it’s rocking,” Duke said of the “unbelievable and electric” atmosphere of a home game at the school’s gym. “It’s one of the louder gyms I’ve ever been in. It just funnels all the noise right there to the middle.

“It was a great experience every night in there,” Duke added. “We missed that. We definitely miss that.”

Along the baseline on the old court of the gym is one of the school’s mottos: “Pride of the Westside.” That serves as a reminder to the team to represent the area’s blue-collar work ethic and familial community.

“We want to be a product of our environment and put on for the Westside,” Tai Coleman said. “To put on for everybody who supports us. Everybody in the Democracy Prep community is hardworking. … There’s a lot we can still say about our community, history, Democracy Prep that people don’t know and I want that to be brought to life.”

The team will have to channel the Westside work ethic and sense of family if it wants to make a run at another state title.

A chance to win a 5A title would likely put Democracy Prep on a path to go against three of the four teams it suffered defeats during league play.

It would be a fitting path to a title for a program that’s used to the long odds.

“Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve always been the underdog,” Allen said. “It’s nothing new to us and I enjoy having that underdog role because I feel a lot of teams may underestimate us.

“We have something to prove every single night.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.