Mustangs basketball coach finalist has knowledge of district, winning record
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls Independent School District board of trustees will have a busy regular meeting May 19.
Trustees will be asked to approve the hire of Paul Gammage as the Marble Falls High School boys head basketball coach. If approved, it will be his first head coaching job.
Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Operations Wade Stanford said staff members made the decision weeks before former athletic director Todd Dodge resigned to take the same job at Austin Westlake.
“We felt very good with that decision to take that to the board,” he said. “(MFHS Principal Manny) Lunoff and I were involved in that decision.”
Gammage, who is a Dripping Springs graduate, was the varsity assistant coach at Leander Rouse, which was third in District 25-4A last season with an 8-4 record. Gammage also assisted in coaching the junior varsity team, Stanford said, which posted a 26-1 record in 2012-2013, including winning the district crown with an 11-1 record.
Before that, Gammage was an assistant coach at Buda Hays and Ingram Tom Moore, which has won numerous district titles and played several rounds in the playoffs in Class 3A.
Stanford said several factors made Gammage the right hire for Marble Falls.
Administrators loved his plan for implementing a system from the seventh grade and up.
“The way he envisions that system is starting with fundamentals on the lower grades and maximizing the skills he has at other levels,” Stanford said.
Gammage also has a knack for getting the most out of his players, something administrators believe is important for coaching in District 25-4A.
“He interacts well with students and builds great relationships with them and has a family atmosphere with them,” Stanford said. “His career and background show that he’s knowledgeable of the district, and that’s important.”
Dripping Springs athletic director Howard Ballard remembers coaching Gammage as a freshman, noting Gammage committed himself to the sport. Gammage was a two-year starter for the Tigers varsity team.
“He was a very good shooter and very knowledgable,” Ballard said. “I didn’t have to tell him much. He knew as much as I did. He’s the guy in that situation to have. He knows strategy, he’s been at some good places with good experiences. I think he’ll be a good hire.”
The board also will be asked to approve the hire of Matt Green as the new head football coach and athletic director.
The meeting will be conducted at MFISD central office, 1800 Colt Circle in Marble Falls.
jfierro@thepicayune.com