Catching up on the coaching carousel: Pool moves from Mount de Sales to ACE; Barnes promoted; Tattnall volleyball; Dodge County, Northeast, Hancock Central, Trinity Christian (list of 24-25 moves)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
When the new era in the baseball dugout at ACE Charter begins in earnest, there might be an adjustment for the Gryphons.
New head coach Bubba Pool is a little different than longtime head coach Josh McLendon, now at Dublin as head softball coach, assistant baseball coach, and in athletics administration.
âI just like to coach ball,â Pool said. âThatâs what I like to do. Iâm just not that dude that wants to put everything out there ⊠and all that stuff.â
The Carousel
May 27
Westside's Risper announces resignation after the 2025 season
May 13
The Carousel: Familiar names, new basketball coaches at Jones County, Covenant
May 2
Tattnall fills boys basketball job with familiar Macon name; ACE softball and volleyball, Tattnall girls basketball
Old names, new bosses for ACE and Tattnall athletics
May 1
Help wanted x 3: Tattnall moving on from Chambless in two roles, and he's moving on from another role
Carousel: ACE softball and volleyball, Tattnall girls basketball
April 28
ACE's McLendon has found a new home, just down I-16 against a region rival, as new softball coach at Dublin
April 26
Veterans loses a hoops coach, and gets one
April 24
Dublin promotes Dodge County alum as new girls basketball coach
April 22
Help wanted, X 3: McLendon moving on from ACE as athletics director, baseball and softball head coach
April 16
Jones County has a new athletics director, and Charles David sure knows his way around Greyhound athletics
March 26
Hoops coaching carousel: Perry taps McIntyre
Feb. 21
Former Northside head coach, Jones County athletics directorAlligood announces retirement
Feb 12
Less than two weeks after losing its head football coach, Jones County has a new head football coach in Justin Montgomery
Feb. 3
Jones Countyâs Chastain and Alligood resign days after answering challenges at a called board meeting following social media flurry
Jan. 28
Piedmont promotes Payne to head football coach
Jan. 17
New Northside head coach Williams bringing core values, consistency, continuity, and confidence to major rebuilding job
Jan. 14
Veterans taps Steve DeVoursney as new head coach, Williams approved to take over at Northside
Jan. 13
Northside set to make more than a splash hire with Langston Hughes' Williams reportedly taking the job
Jan. 8
Retirement was going mighty well for Barney Hester, but time and circumstance intervened, and Tattnallâs legend is back at Tattnall
2024
Nov. 25
Veterans' Ingram out after three years as head coach, seven overall with the Warhawks
Nov. 22
Abernathy has been juggling jobs and family at Tattnall, but life becomes a bit easier as he steps down as head football coach
Nov. 5
The first spin of the Central Georgia football coaching carousel: Northside's Bailey resigns
A chunk of McLendonâs job was, in fact, getting the word out, as the head baseball coach, head softball coach, and athletics director at ACE. All of those jobs have been split up since his departure.
Which makes Pool happy, because he can just worry about coaching baseball and moving into a facilities maintenance position.
Pool was announced in May around the end of school.
âIâm just leaving Mount de Sales to to go to ACE and be the head baseball coach,â Pool said. âAnd thatâs about the gist of it. Talking abut my kids or my team, Iâm good.â
Pool is a 1992 graduate of Mount de Sales who started at his alma mater in 2007-08, and took over the baseball program in 2015. He spent several years in the industrial supply business, as an employee and then as an owner.
âI donât think I even have that on my resume,â Pool said.
His relationships with Robert Slocum and Chester Pierce veered out of business and into coaching.
âThey were two very, very influential guys in my life,â the 51 year old said. âThatâs just kind of what led me to get into coaching, those two guys. I just kind of fell in love with developing kids, trying to make kids better and tryng to help kids.â
Pool carries a record (unofficially) of 154-131 to ACE.
âIt was a tough decision,â he said. âIn the end, I just felt like it was an opportunity, a good opportunity I couldnât pass up at this time. I thought it was better for my family. And Iâm getting older, I just wanted to try a new opportunity.
âI love Mount de Sales. Iâll always be a Cavalier. It was not easy. A lot of people there have been very supportive.â
And promotes Barnes for hoops
McLendonâs departure opened up three jobs, which eventually opened up another one.
Thomas Darrah was appointed as athletics director, and he soon vacated his position as head boys basketball coach. He didnât look far for a successor, the school naming assistant Bert Barnes to follow him.
Barnes was Darrahâs assistant for three seasons.
The FPD grad helped the Vikings to a state title in 2000, earning three GISA all-region and two all-state honors along the way. He was a walk-on at Mercer, but finished his education a Georgia, earning a bachelors and masters.
He has been in local auto sales for several years.
He and wife Anna have two sons attending ACE.
Crawford County taps Hall as boys hoops coach
The new head boys basketball coach at Crawford County brings quite the basketball resume to Roberta.
The school announced in May the hiring of Jordan Hall to succeed Darrin Clark after several seasons.
Hall is a Tennessean who left Lenoir City High in 2012 as the schoolâs all-time leading scorer, which led to his induction into the schoolâs hall of fame. He also started at quarterback for four seasons.
He played college basketball at Lee and Tennessee Wesleyan, the latter being where he began his coaching career. He has been an assistant at Tennessee schools East Hamilton near Chattanooga and Rhea County near Knoxville.
Tattnall hires volleyball boss
Rachel Marsh is the newest member of the Tattnall coaching staff, taking over the volleyball program earlier this month.
The 1989 graduate of the College of Charleston is the wife of Mercer head beach volleyball coach Josh Marsh, serving for a year as an assistant with the Bears. Josh Mars.
She comes to Tattnall after several years as a club head coach, most of her experience coming on the club and travel circuit, as well as the middle-school level.
Marsh was a varsity assistant at Heritage-Newnan, and part of three GISA state title teams. Her coaching career began as a middle school and JV coach at Calvary Christian School in Columbus as both the middle school and junior varsity coach.
Catching up: Dodge County, Hancock Central, Northeast
After a year at Middle Georgia State, Cedric Jordan is back as head boys coach at Dodge County, succeeding Pete Ranson, who resigned after one season, going 13-13. Jordan was the Indiansâ head coach for two seasons before moving to MGSU for a year (May 6)
Brandon Johnson was promoted from the staff and is the new head boys basketball coach at Hancock Central. (May 6)
Tray Little is the new head boys basketball coach at Northeast, succeeding William Gordon, whose contract wasnât renewed after the 2-22 season, his third season. Little was the girls coach at Midtown in Atlanta. (May 10)
Trinity Christianâs dizzying boys basketball carousel landed yet again on John Williams. He followed Nolan Gottlieb, a TCS alum who lasted one year after succeeding Brad Bristol, who lasted one year after succeeding Williams, who led TCS to the 2023 GIAA state championship.