Greenwood mug shots
Coach Shad Hanna Photo by Tim Fischer Reporter-Telegram
Posted: Thursday, July 11, 2013 5:30 pm
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Updated: 10:01 pm, Thu Jul 11, 2013.
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Normally, Greenwood head football coach and athletic director Shad Hanna would have filled any potential job vacancies by now. That’s certainly not the case this year.
Hanna is faced with the task of still having to fill vacancies left by coaches, who have left the Greenwood ISD athletic department for other coaching jobs or other opportunities, mainly for jobs in the oil fields.
“I’ve never had it like this,” he said. “I’ve never had to look for coaches this late in the summer. It’s been a pretty special summer.”
The good news is since the end of the school year, Hanna has filled the three head varsity coaching jobs in boys athletics.
Former Big Spring boys basketball coach Cliff Thompson came over to Greenwood to fill the vacancy left by Zach Boxwell, who left after one year to Class 2A power Brock. Baseball coach Craig Finley left for a job in the oil business, but Hanna promoted assistant Stephen Rodriguez to the head coaching position. And when boys track coach Adam Alba left for a coaching position within Midland ISD athletics, Hanna hired former Irion County football coach and athletic director Brian Hastings for the position. Hastings will also coach the varsity football offensive line.
The coach’s own football program was purged with seven assistants from the junior high or high school level leaving since the end of the school year.
Hanna said he is still looking for a few assistant coaches, most notably both varsity football defensive backs coaches.
“It’s tough with having that consistency within your program,” Hanna said. “But it’s not just me that’s having a hard time finding coaches, it’s everybody in West Texas.”
What makes Hanna’s task of filling these vacancies is that the school district has to compete with the lure of making more money working with the oil companies. It also doesn’t help that finding a place to live is also difficult and expensive.
“The oil fields have got us right now,” Hanna said. “Coaches that would have been coming to West Texas, they’re in the oil fields. Then there’s the housing situation. When I start talking to coaches, I have to tell them that their rent might be as much as my mortgage.”
Hanna added that the coaches who might have accepted the jobs, have taken other jobs by other athletic programs looking to fill vacancies.
Hanna said a solution might be to find coaches who are already in the area or fill the positions with people who are new and want to get into coaching.
“When you’re able to hire good coaches, they’re experienced, smart and are able to pick it up and go with it,” Hanna said. “When you’ve got some new ones, it takes them a while to learn and for you to get used to one another.”
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Thursday, July 11, 2013 5:30 pm.
Updated: 10:01 pm.