Stephen Ward readily admits that his wife JoVanka Ward has better taste in clothes than he does. She was judged the best dressed coach at Legacy Arena last year when her Homewood girls basketball team won the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A state basketball championship.

Stephen Ward talks girls’ basketball, something he knows a bit about given his wife coaches girls. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

Last Saturday night, the Wards were in a men’s clothing store, picking attire that could make Stephen Ward, coach of the Huffman boys squad, a contender for the prize his wife won last year.

And match the state title her team earned a year ago.

“I don’t really have taste in clothes so she helped me,” he said. “When it comes to dress, I dip into her playbook.”

The Wards give new meaning to the phrase “sleeping with the enemy.” His Vikings face coach Tim Shepler’s Homewood boys in their semifinal on Wednesday and her Patriots square off against coach Lin Slater’s Huffman girls in their semifinal.

The girls’ game is at noon and the boys play at 1:30 p.m.

The Huffman boys coach said he expected his team to reach the final four. A year ago, his Vikings fell in the first round of the area tournament.

JoVanka Ward is followed by husband Stephen Ward as they check in to the coaches luncheon. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

“We had a really good team last year,” he said. “We just had a bad night at the wrong time. I had the majority of those guys coming back and that’s been our goal the whole season. Our motto has been, ‘Be great.’ We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”

JoVanka Ward said she and her husband are trying not to make this about the two of them but to instead make their players the focus.

“But to say that I’m not excited would be not true,” she said. “I’m very excited for him to make it. He’s coached high school longer than I have and he hasn’t had the opportunity to make it down there.

“I would like for him to experience that,” the Homewood girls coach said. “I’m excited about his opportunity to experience it. I haven’t put much thought into who he has to play against. I’m just excited to support him in that he’s been able to make it down to the final four.”

Stephen Ward, left, and JoVanka Ward are taking separate teams to the state finals. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)