An offseason to remember in prep basketball coaching:
Flash Thoughts:
Never has been such an offseason in prep basketball as the one that followed a tremendous 2023/24 campaign. The Good Hope Lady Raiders claimed their first AHSAA championship, the Cold Springs Lady Eagles reached the 2A Final Four and the Cullman Bearcats had a run to get to the Elite Eight in 6A play.
Coaching changes have run rampant around the Gameday Weekly coverage area.
The one place that is in a whirlwind is Morgan County.
Seven teams will be under a new leader next year. The recent changes were last week at the Morgan County Board of Education meeting.
Jeff Daniel was hired by the Brewer Lady Patriots. Daniel had been on the staff in recent seasons at Fairview High School.
Danville filled its vacancy in getting Sam Wallace to come to the Hawks. Wallace had built a winning formula coaching girls hoops in Limestone County at Elkmont.
Meanwhile in Priceville, the Bulldogs are in the process to find a successor to J.R. Dillbeck. Dillbeck reportedly submitted his resignation on the night of the school board meeting after a 3 year stint with Priceville.
For Priceville, this is part of a change. The school has been reclassified to 5A for the first time and also will see a new leader with the Lady Bulldogs. Shane Childress recently took the position that became vacant when Terri Nelson retired following the 2023/24 season that ended with a loss to Good Hope in the Northwest 4A regional championship at Wallace State.
Also in Morgan County, Hartselle is looking for a new hire following the recent resignation of Faron Key, who accepted the position to take over the Wallace State Lions in the ACCC.
Ben Mastin left Danville and is now at Decatur, Bobby Meyer is back as a head coach, taking over at West Morgan after the last three years assisting with Decatur.
Marshall County is 2nd with a total of four new coaches, three in girls basketball.
Terrance Maze, a Fairview native, is now the girls head coach at Arab. Maze was given the position after Brad Kitchens retired in 2024. Arab was the 5A state runner up in 2023 to Pleasant Grove.
Kelly Robinson built a winner at Mortimer Jordan in the Morris community of Jefferson County. Robinson now has moved to lead the Guntersville girls. Guntersville won the 5A state title back in 2022.
Having great success at Susan Moore, Natasha Smallwood was offered and accepted to move into Marshall County, coaching at the largest school, Class 7A Albertville.
Here in Cullman County, only two changes have developed.
Emily Willoughby is now running the Vinemont Lady Eagles and has enjoyed the summer playdays with her team 8 & 0.
Willoughby got hired by the 3A school in North Cullman County after James Brown resigned in the spring following 5 seasons, getting 34 wins his last two years.
Cold Springs is still looking to replace Cade Willingham. Willingham stepped down at the end of May, accepting a position to return to his alma mater, Plainview High School in Dekalb County.
Coaches come, coaches go. But for GDW, the number of changes is at 15 programs from 2 in Cullman County, 2 in Blount County, 7 in Morgan County and 4 in Marshall County.
The current vacancies entering the week of June 17 is at Cold Springs, Hartselle and JB Pennington.
Coaches call it a career after a long time on the bench. Some schools decide it is best needed to make a change.
Schools see this as an opportunity to do what they can in luring the best hire for the program.
Albertville is a prime example as they offered to Smallwood and she accepted. Albertville is 11 & 32 in the last 2 seasons. They had 20 plus winning campaigns in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
Brewer was very good with 99 wins between 2016 to 2020, getting to the Final Four under Jeff Andrews in 2018/19.
Unfortunately, the last four years have seen this 5A school slip and are now having its 3rd head coach in the past 5 years.
The school is giving Daniel an opportunity for this is the first time as GDW is aware, he is a head coach in high school girls.
Daniel had worked the recent years with Justin Billings and Chris Nichols at Fairview as a varsity assistant and running the JV squad.
Teams getting a change in coaching, 8 enjoyed winning more than losing in 2023/24.
At Vinemont, Willoughby is trying to do something the Lady Eagles have not endured in some time. Three consecutive winning seasons. Vinemont was 17 & 14 in 2022/23 and 17 & 11 last season. They do have at least 3 starters and 3 key reserves back in Willoughby's inaugural season on the high school ranks.
In breaking this down, with 15 basketball teams to be under a new coach in 2024/25, the coaching process in football is at the following.
New coaches have been hired by various reasons and will be at Hanceville, Holly Pond and West Point in Cullman County.
Other schools nearby with new football coaches are in Arab, Brindlee Mountain, Decatur, JB Pennington, Hartselle, Mortimer Jordan and Priceville. That is a total of 11 for teams covered by GDW with our local schools.
Basketball is entering the final week of playdays that is allowed by the AHSAA each June.
Wallace told GDW on Saturday, he will be with his new Danville team in a playday Monday at Decatur.
Daniel was involved in a team meeting with his new group and Brewer and handling other situations with the administration on Friday, the day after he was approved by the Morgan County BOE.
Brewer is scheduled to be in a playday Thursday at Danville. The Lady Patriots have been handled by an interim staff as GDW saw them play on June 7 at Danville, facing Fairview and Vinemont.
GDW is planning to conclude its reporting of playdays with a big one hosted by the Cullman Lady Bearcats Wednesday and the AHSAA scholastic camp Friday and Saturday at Hoover, featuring the Cullman Bearcats and Good Hope Raiders.
Photo of new Vinemont girls coach Emily Willoughby and her team at the Danville playday June 7.
GDW photo by Johnny Thornton.
