Photo by Jim RedmanDavid Boyd awaits tip-off of a 2009 game at the City of Palms Classic against Westchester.
After a stormy departure last fall at Milton High School, one of the most successful coaches in Georgia basketball history will return to the bench in 2013-14.
David Boyd, who has won over 600 games and six state titles, was named head coach at
Excel Christian Academy (Cartersville, Ga.) on Monday.
Boyd has led four different Peach State schools to titles, but is best known for his recent run at Milton. He is fully retired from Georgia's public schools system but will also teach two English classes at Excel and possibly weight training.
"It would be a lot easier for me to sit back and enjoy the success my teams and players have had, but I felt like I had more to give," Boyd told MaxPreps by phone Tuesday morning.
Under Boyd's tutelage, Milton won state crowns in 2010 and 2012 and became one of the elite public school programs in the country. The Eagles were ranked in the top 15 nationally to finish the season by MaxPreps each year from 2010 to 2012.
The standouts from that run include Evan Nolte (Virginia), Dai-Jon Parker (Vanderbilt), Julian Royal (Georgia Tech, George Mason) and Shannon Scott (Ohio State).
But things ended on a sour note for Boyd at Milton as allegations of undue influence (recruiting) led to his ouster last September. He may have been a victim of his own success to some extent as players began gravitating toward a program that played a national schedule, including appearances at prestigious events like the City of Palms Classic, Beach Ball Classic and Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Boyd won't be starting from scratch at Excel Christian Academy. Under former Marlins minor leaguer and Kennesaw State basketball player Jon-Michael Nickerson, the program went 26-3 last season and reached the Class A quarterfinals.
"It's a situation I'm very comfortable with," Boyd said. "I'm excited about teaching and coaching and making a difference, as well as making a difference in a young person's spiritual life. That's something that's very important to me."
Nickerson left to take a position under Josh Pastner at the University of Memphis.
The new position at Excel isn't the only change in Boyd's life. The veteran coach will also marry fiancee Geniese in June.