The basketballs have been put up for another season, but it's not a bad time to look back (and ahead) with some juicy tidbits and notes.
The name Buddy Hawkins is synonymous with the girls basketball program at East Texas power
Winnsboro. After guiding the Lady Raiders to a 12th state tournament earlier in March, Hawkins announced that he is retiring at the end of the school year.
Hawkins actually began his career coaching football, but took over the Winnsboro basketball program 29 years ago and ended his stay at the program with almost 800 wins. The team won three consecutive state championships from 1999 to 2001 during the Stacy Stephens heyday.
Hawkins is a Winnsboro native and led the last edition of Lady Raiders to a 33-7 mark and spot in the 2A state final.
ROBERT CAPELLO TO MAKE RETURN TO EDCOUCH-ELSAA familiar face in the Rio Grande Valley will be returning to the basketball sidelines next year when Robert Capello takes over the reins of the
Edcouch-Elsa boys program.
Capello departed from E-E following the 2009-10 season to apparently end a 45-year coaching career with a 966-436 record, good enough for 12th all-time nationally in wins and third among active coaches according to the 2011 National High School Sports Record Book. He has since been reinstated to coach the Yellowjackets and before doing so will be on the bench for the rgvsports.com All-Valley Showcase presented by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the National Basketball Development League and the Rio Grande Valley Basketball Officials Chapter on Saturday, April 2 at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo.
CHARLES PATTILLO RETIRES FROM BROWNWOODJust as one familiar face is coming back, another is departing. Charles Pattillo, who owns more than 700 career wins, announced his retirement as coach of the
Brownwood boys. A replacement has already been named in former Lions' assistant Josh Alcorn.
JOE BARNETT ASCENDS TO TOP POST AT DENISONJoe Barnett has been named the new boys coach at
Denison after serving as an assistant to the previous two head coaches, Scott Curran and Jody Bass. Bass announced his retirement after coaching at Denison for two years and for 37 years overall including posts at Dallas Highland Park, Carrollton R.L. Turner and Flower Mound Marcus.
Barnett played at Denison from 1991-94 under Bob Clayton and became the school district's middle school coach after graduating from Southeastern Oklahoma State. He then was named an assistant at Denison and served in that capacity for five years under Curran and the past two under Bass.
TEXOMA STREAK LIVES ON The
Texoma Christian (Sherman) girls just captured their third consecutive state championship in TAPPS 2A in finishing 24-8 and going undefeated in district play for the sixth consecutive season, a streak that now stretches 64 games long. Oh, and the postseason winning streak now stands at 19 and counting for coach Mark Ellison's Lady Eagles.
SAN ANTONIO ALAMO HEIGHTS SENIOR INJURED IN SHOOTING A teenager critically injured in a shooting early Saturday has been identified as Alamo Heights High School senior and varsity basketball player Eddie Moreno, 17.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Moreno remained at University Hospital Sunday but updated information on his condition was not released. The shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. when Moreno and his two cousins were possibly involved in a road rage incident on the Loop 410 access road at Airport Boulevard, according to police.
The other motorist fired multiple shots at the SUV and Moreno, the backseat passenger, was the only person hit. The shooter's vehicle was described only as a red compact car, possibly a Chevy Cobalt, according to a police news release.
R.V. Baugus is publisher of Tex Preps Basketball magazine.