Gilroy High hoops has a new headmaster. Principal James Maxwell
offered the varsity boys basketball head coaching position
Wednesday to Jeremy Dirks, a four-year assistant for the Mustangs,
and Dirks accepted.
Gilroy High hoops has a new headmaster.
Principal James Maxwell offered the varsity boys basketball head coaching position Wednesday to Jeremy Dirks, a four-year assistant for the Mustangs, and Dirks accepted.
Dirks will be taking over a program that went 8-19 this season, 2-10 in the Tri-County Athletic League.
A major reason for Dirks’ hiring was due to his familiarity with the program and a vision of where it can go, according to Athletic Director Jack Daley. A 1993 graduate of GHS, Dirks played all four years of high school for the Mustangs, three on the varsity level. In addition to his coaching duties, he is also on campus every day as an 11th-grade U.S. history and 9th-grade Global Studies teacher.
“I think he’s done a good job for us,” Daley said. “He’s done a great job in the classroom. Having him on campus makes a huge difference as well. We felt like he was the right person to move the program forward.”
Bud Ogden had been the head coach since the 2003-04 season, compiling a 69-65 overall record (29-27 TCAL) and winning a TCAL championship in ’05-06. Ogden recently informed the school that he did not plan on returning for next season. Whether or not he would have been retained was a subject that never reached conversation.
“We didn’t get to that point because he made that decision,” Daley said.
Dirks said his main goal for the program will be creating a renewed sense of community.
“The biggest thing I want to do is create a sense of family within our program, from the varsity to the JV to the freshman level,” he said. “I want it to be something people can be proud of.
Attendance marks at home games sagged this season, excluding the annual rivalry game with San Benito, and Dirks thinks his ability to motivate players will have a profound effect on bringing people back to games.
“I want to change the culture a little bit,” Dirks said. “I want fans in the stands.
“I want to create communication between the players and the coaches. I’m going to emphasize communication.”
He added that his first orders of business will be establishing open gym sessions and a weight lifting/conditioning program. After that Dirks said he will focus on setting up a summer program that includes attending camps, tournaments and leagues.
“I’m really excited about it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a dream come true because to be honest, I didn’t think about it. I didn’t know it would be within my reach. I think I can give back to the kids the way basketball gave back to me. I love Gilroy High School. It’s a part of me.”
And for the kids that put on a Gilroy uniform, Dirks said he will have one demand.
“I want the kids that want to be here,” he said.
Varsity girls basketball note:
James Wilkins, coach of Gilroy High’s varsity girls basketball team for the past two seasons after serving as an assistant on the boys’ side, will not return to the bench next year, according to Daley.
“When James was hired, the agreement was he would finish out the time that his daughter (Vanessa) was at school,” Daley said. “It was a mutual parting of ways.”
Vanessa Wilkins was a senior guard on the team this season.
Daley said he hopes to have a new coach in place in the next month, with the candidate selected most likely having a role on campus outside of coaching due to recent district budget cuts.
“Our goal is always to have as many qualified on campus coaches as we can,” he said. “And the principal believes having someone who’s there on an everyday basis, that’s qualified for the position. (Someone who) not only gives us the best chance on the court, but also the best chance for the students in the program (to succeed in the classroom) because they’re there every day.”
