Cloyd Garth said he hasn”t officially submitted his application, but that he would like to remain the Aberdeen High School girls basketball coach.
Aberdeen High School Athletic Director Hansel Gunn said earlier this week that the opening for the girls basketball job hasn”t been posted. He said he expects it to be listed in the next few weeks.
Still, word of the opening has been circulating on the Internet and through the high school coaching ranks.
Garth, who works as an alderman in Aberdeen, stepped in for James Trimble early in the 2008-09 season. He helped lead the Lady Bulldogs (28-8) to the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament, where they lost to Raymond 62-48.
Aberdeen Superintendent Dr. George Gilreath said in January that Trimble remained the school”s girls basketball coach and was still employed at the school as a health and driver”s education teacher.
But Gunn said earlier this week Trimble no longer was the girls basketball coach and that he wasn”t a teacher at the school.
Gunn declined to comment on the matter further because it was a personnel issue.
Gilreath and Trimble didn”t return phone calls for comment.
Garth said he hopes to remain the coach to prevent the girls from having to transition to another coach.
“We spent a lot of the season getting the girls to where we are,” Garth said. “It took a while to get the girls to buy into our system. I don”t know if we could get back on track and get everything we taught them cleared out of their heads (if a new coach was hired). That would be challenging.”
Garth said the 2009-10 Aberdeen girls team has the potential to win a state title. He made similar comments after the loss to Raymond.
The return of rising senior Jameika Hoskins should make the Lady Bulldogs a contender in Class 3A.
Garth said his work as alderman wouldn”t present a conflict with his work as Aberdeen High”s girls basketball coach. He said he is used to working multiple jobs from his time as a varsity and junior varsity coaches in several sports at schools in Monroe County, including Hamilton High.
“Hopefully I will be the coach,” Garth said.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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