All good things must come to an end. That is the case at Eagle’s Landing where former boys basketball coach Clay Crump, who had been at the school for 12 years, will be coaching Harrison next year after a wildly successful tenure with the Golden Eagles, which included the 2013 AAAA state championship.
“I just felt like it was a great time to evaluate where I was professionally and with my family, and just thought it was a good time to transition to a new challenge,” said Crump this morning in a phone interview. “I’ve loved Eagle’s Landing and greatly enjoyed coaching these kids, but Harrison is a school with a lot of tradition and community support. That’s very attractive to me.”
Before taking over as head coach, the Valdosta State graduate was an assistant with the boys and girls basketball teams at Eagle’s Landing. He then was tasked with building a winner when given the head coaching reigns of the boys team in 2004-2005. The past four seasons saw the fruit of Crump’s labor as the Golden Eagles won 101 games, three region titles and went to three final fours. The 2013 championship was the first boys basketball title in Henry County history.
“I’ve been at Eagle’s Landing for a long time and felt like we had finished what we set out to do,” Crump added. “I think we represented the county well.”
After accepting the job Friday, news of Crump’s new position hit the social media world very quickly as congratulations from near and far went to his twitter account. Crump will meet with the new team at Harrison Wednesday at 6 p.m. before practicing at 7.
Former coach Jermaine Bigham lasted just one year at the west Cobb school after replacing Robert Churchwell, who led the Hoyas to the semifinals in 2012.
Crump is looking forward to the challenge of leading a Class AAAAAA program in a tough region.
“There are good coaches in every classification in Georgia, but in basketball, the classification matters, but all you need is five,” said Crump. “It’s not quite as indicative of talent as football or something that needs numbers.”
Harrison finished 7-19 last season under Bigham after going 23-8 in 2012 under Churchwell.
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