AURORA | Fully intent on taking at least a year off from coaching basketball, Gary Childress finds himself quickly back in the game.
In March, Childress stepped down after 16 seasons as the head boys basketball coach at Grandview, where he was the program’s first and only coach and posted a 216-165 overall mark with three trips to the Class 5A Final Four.
When he heard about the late open job at nearby Vista PEAK — which was vacated when Josh Brenning stepped down in August because he was unable to secure a teaching position at the school — Childress felt the urge to apply after discussing it with his wife, Patty, Grandview’s volleyball coach. The 34-year coaching veteran interviewed on Thursday and got the call offering him the job with the Bison on Friday.
“It became abundantly clear to me that I wasn’t really ready to retire just yet,” Childress said Saturday. “As the summer went on, I really didn’t check into anything, but then I just heard about this job opening over Labor Day. I felt like this was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
Childress — who has a 455-302 career coaching record in 34 years on the bench, which includes stops at Limon, Yuma, Palisade and Ferndale, Washington, in addition to his time at Grandview — will meet with players on Wednesday and get started. He hasn’t even gotten a full tour of the school yet, but he’s done plenty of research and the reports have come back positive.
Vista PEAK had a breakthrough season in 2013-14 when it finished 19-6, won the Colorado 7 championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Class 4A state tournament before losing to eventual state champion Pueblo East.
Many of the Bison basketball players also play football, including standout guard Noah Butler and post player Isaiah Young, while a number of other young players who contributed late last season are expected to return. Butler averaged 12.7 points and 2.9 steals per game last season, while Young was good for 6.7 points and 7.0 rebounds each time out in 2013-14.
Vista PEAK graduated two seniors in leading scorer and All-City first teamer Romello Washington and defensive stopper Ayo Sanusi.
“I talked with Josh and with the administration at Vista PEAK and its seems like there is a good nucleus coming back, so I’m excited about that,” Childress said. “Knowing what I know about the kids coming back, there are a lot of similarities to what I had at Grandview. I think that there will be some adjustment to personnel, but I would say we’ll look a lot like Grandview I’m guessing.”
While he admitted that he will miss the annually grueling Centennial League, Childress is prepared to coach in a league with some smaller programs. He’ll also get a to take a trip with the Bison to Fort Morgan, which is near his old stomping grounds in Yuma.
Meanwhile at Grandview, former Arapahoe head coach Dan Snyder temporarily took over the job at Grandview, then later changed his mind. The school had another round of interviews and hired former George Washington head coach and Denver East assistant Michael Rogers.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel. IG: Auroraprepsentinel
