New Hope High School will have a new girls basketball coach for the 2009-10 school year.
Tim Vaughan resigned for personal reasons Tuesday as coach at his alma mater to be an assistant girls basketball coach for Yvonne Hairston at Columbus High School.
Vaughan, who led the Lady Trojans to a 31-18 record the past two seasons, said Saturday he hasn”t signed a contract to make the move official, but that he expects to be a full-time social studies teacher in the fall at Columbus High.
“I am really excited about the opportunity,” Vaughan said. “The kids at New Hope were some of the best that I have been around in 15 years. They are a great group of girls.”
Vaughan spent 12 seasons as a basketball coach at Shannon High (nine with the boys, three with the girls) before returning to his alma mater at New Hope.
He said he has known Hairston, a 1985 graduate of New Hope High, for a number of years and is anxious to do what he can to help that program take the next step.
“I grew up with Yvonne Hairston and I know her work ethic and how tough and how determined she is,” Vaughan said. “I am just happy to be a part of the Columbus program, and I am glad they are giving me the opportunity.”
Hairston said Vaughan built a successful program at Shannon and that she, too, is excited about the move.
“Tim brings a lot of experience and knowledge,” Hairston said. “I know he will be a great asset to our program.”
Hairston said Vaughan will work solely as an assistant varsity girls basketball coach.
DeShuni Sanders, who was a senior on the 2008-09 New Hope High girls basketball team, said Vaughan did a good job at the school.
“I love coach Vaughan,” said Sanders, who has signed a scholarship to play softball in the fall at East Mississippi Community College. “I thought he was a good coach. He was hard on us because he knows our potential. I didn”t have any problems with him. He is a good guy and really worked us.”
Sanders said the team finished 11-12 this season because it couldn”t finish games. She said the Lady Trojans led too many games in the fourth quarter and then lost that lead.
With Kia Edmond, Kelli Petty, and Rachel Hollivay expected to return for the 2009-10 season, Sanders feels the next New Hope High coach could have a strong squad.
“All three of them are good and know how to play basketball,” Sanders said. “We also have some eighth-graders who should be able to step up and who are hard workers. I think if they work and they want to play they will be just fine.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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