One of the most successful coaches in Virginia High School Basketball lately is leaving for The Lone Star State.
Gary Hall, who has built his alma mater Herndon High School into a contender on two separate stints, is moving to Texas to be the Head Coach at Nacogdoches High School.
Hall leaves behind quite a legacy, much of it being established with the Hornets. In his first 18 seasons at the helm there, he put together a 319-136 overall record with a Northern Region Championship as well as six Concorde District titles.
The highlight of Hall's coaching career was in 2006, when they made it to the Group AAA State Championship game behind the brilliant talents of guard Scottie Reynolds, who went on to be an All-American at Villanova. Unfortunately for Herndon, they were denied a state title, falling to Booker T. Washington out of Norfolk, 55-51 at the Siegel Center.
In 2010-11, Hall embarked on private school basketball, coaching Middleburg Academy. That squad, led by Nik Brown and Mo Alie-Cox (VCU), finished 26-5.
Just two years later, Hall was back as the lead man at Herndon, where the Hornets went 70-32 in four seasons. Each season, they were eliminated in the regional semifinals or quarterfinals, twice by W.T. Woodson. That included a 63-62 overtime loss in 2014, capping a 23-3 mark.
This past season, Herndon went 13-12 overall, upending top-seeded Langley 67-64 in overtime in the opening round of the 6A-North Region Tournament before being bounced in the quarters by State Playoff participant West Springfield.
Read more about Gary Hall's departure in an open letter to the Herndon faculty which he shared with the media and fellow coaches below...
Gary Hall's Letter to Herndon Faculty:
After 23 wonderful years and a lifetime of living in the community, I have made the gut wrenching decision to retire from FCPS and resign as Boys Basketball Coach at Herndon High School. I feel so blessed to have had the privilege to teach and coach at my alma mater. Coaching and teaching at Herndon High School was always much more than a job, it was and always will be my home.
Last night, I accepted the Boys Basketball position at Nacogdoches High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. Nacogdoches is the oldest town in the state of Texas and will celebrating its 300 year anniversary this year. 80% of the families live below the poverty level, 35% of the Class of 2016 that entered as Freshmen did not graduate and the basketball team won one game last year. Needless to say, there is a tremendous opportunity to have a major impact on young people’s lives, both on and off the court. I am both excited and overwhelmed at the prospect of leaving a place I have called home for 55 years.
This is a family decision, not a teaching or coaching decision. The prospect of staying at Herndon for my entire career was enticing, the opportunity to have dinner with my daughters, priceless.
I leave with countless memories and friendships that I will treasure for a lifetime. I would like to thank everyone for their tremendous support given to me and my players both on and off the court. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by good people that made my job much easier. I have been supported by family, players, coaches, staff, administrators, friends and the entire Herndon community. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve. I will always carry a piece of the “Hornets Nest” in my heart.
Though we were unable to bring home the elusive state championship, it is my hope that we were great ambassadors for Herndon High School and we provided you with many exciting Tuesday and Friday nights. I hope we made you proud.
GO HORNETS!!!
Gary Hall, who has built his alma mater Herndon High School into a contender on two separate stints, is moving to Texas to be the Head Coach at Nacogdoches High School.
Hall leaves behind quite a legacy, much of it being established with the Hornets. In his first 18 seasons at the helm there, he put together a 319-136 overall record with a Northern Region Championship as well as six Concorde District titles.
The highlight of Hall's coaching career was in 2006, when they made it to the Group AAA State Championship game behind the brilliant talents of guard Scottie Reynolds, who went on to be an All-American at Villanova. Unfortunately for Herndon, they were denied a state title, falling to Booker T. Washington out of Norfolk, 55-51 at the Siegel Center.
In 2010-11, Hall embarked on private school basketball, coaching Middleburg Academy. That squad, led by Nik Brown and Mo Alie-Cox (VCU), finished 26-5.
Just two years later, Hall was back as the lead man at Herndon, where the Hornets went 70-32 in four seasons. Each season, they were eliminated in the regional semifinals or quarterfinals, twice by W.T. Woodson. That included a 63-62 overtime loss in 2014, capping a 23-3 mark.
This past season, Herndon went 13-12 overall, upending top-seeded Langley 67-64 in overtime in the opening round of the 6A-North Region Tournament before being bounced in the quarters by State Playoff participant West Springfield.
Read more about Gary Hall's departure in an open letter to the Herndon faculty which he shared with the media and fellow coaches below...
Gary Hall's Letter to Herndon Faculty:
After 23 wonderful years and a lifetime of living in the community, I have made the gut wrenching decision to retire from FCPS and resign as Boys Basketball Coach at Herndon High School. I feel so blessed to have had the privilege to teach and coach at my alma mater. Coaching and teaching at Herndon High School was always much more than a job, it was and always will be my home.
Last night, I accepted the Boys Basketball position at Nacogdoches High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. Nacogdoches is the oldest town in the state of Texas and will celebrating its 300 year anniversary this year. 80% of the families live below the poverty level, 35% of the Class of 2016 that entered as Freshmen did not graduate and the basketball team won one game last year. Needless to say, there is a tremendous opportunity to have a major impact on young people’s lives, both on and off the court. I am both excited and overwhelmed at the prospect of leaving a place I have called home for 55 years.
This is a family decision, not a teaching or coaching decision. The prospect of staying at Herndon for my entire career was enticing, the opportunity to have dinner with my daughters, priceless.
I leave with countless memories and friendships that I will treasure for a lifetime. I would like to thank everyone for their tremendous support given to me and my players both on and off the court. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by good people that made my job much easier. I have been supported by family, players, coaches, staff, administrators, friends and the entire Herndon community. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve. I will always carry a piece of the “Hornets Nest” in my heart.
Though we were unable to bring home the elusive state championship, it is my hope that we were great ambassadors for Herndon High School and we provided you with many exciting Tuesday and Friday nights. I hope we made you proud.
GO HORNETS!!!
