San Juan Hills Co-Athletic Director Armando Gonzalez said Friday he expects the school to hire a new boys basketball coach within the next couple of weeks.
Gonzalez said the school has narrowed the candidates down to two, and will conduct interviews next week. Gonzalez, Principal Tom Ressler and another assistant principal will be conducting the interviews.
“We’re trying to find the best fit for our school,” Gonzalez said. “We know we need to (hire) soon so the new coach can get going with summer leagues and summer camps.”
The school is seeking a replacement for Kelly Hambrick, who, after seven seasons, announced his resignation April 23. Ressler reported via email that Hambrick, a San Juan Capistrano resident, resigned to create time for his family.
San Juan Hills in the 2014-15 season finished 14-13 overall and was third in the Sea View League with a 3-3 record. The Stallions lost to Temescal Canyon in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2A playoffs.
In his six varsity seasons, Hambrick and the Stallions compiled a 63-102 win-loss record and advanced to the playoffs four times.
Gonzalez said Hambrick would like to continue coaching at the school, but at the junior varsity or freshmen level. He is still involved with the program’s spring and summer schedules, and will continue to do so until a replacement is hired, Gonzalez said. As of Friday, the Stallions varsity team has not participated in any spring league.
Gonzalez said the school originally opened the position to district-only applicants, but none applied. After opening the position nationwide, the school received more than a dozen applicants.
He added the coach could be a walk-on.
“It’s a possibility that we may have a teaching position open, but as of right now, we’re not sure,” Gonzalez said. “Our first priority is to find the best basketball coach we can, and if he is a teacher, we’ll take a look at that.”
