James Wood coordinator of student activities Ethan Waters stated in an email on Tuesday that the school made the hirings of Chris Higgs as its boys’ basketball head coach and Joe Hall as its girls’ basketball coach official during the last week of May.
Waters said Higgs was an assistant coach for James Wood last year. According to James Wood’s athletic website, Higgs has also been the head JV boys’ basketball coach at James Wood.
Higgs takes over for Ben Bates, who was hired in April of last year. Bates, a former Clarke County High School player, led the Colonels to an 11-11 finish in his one season.
Hall is the former head track & field coach at Millbrook, guiding the Pioneers from 2021-23. Hall’s basketball coaching experience includes leading an undefeated James Wood Middle School seventh-grade girls’ basketball team in the 2019-20 season.
Hall takes over Sanford Silver, who resigned to take an assistant coaching position with Community College of Beaver County in Monaca, Pennsylvania. After taking the job in 2020, Silver led Wood to a 53-46 record over five seasons, finishing this past campaign 14-10.
— Compiled by Robert Niedzwiecki