After three seasons at the helm, Bobby Hughes has decided to leave CVA and take the head baseball job at Hooper Academy in Hope Hull.
“It is a chance to get back close to home,” Hughes said. “It gives me a chance to do things that I haven’t been able to do in three years. It was a big commitment for me to take the job at Coosa Valley because I knew I was going to have to be away from home. I wasn’t going to be able to spend that much time with my wife and my friends.”
In his three seasons as the head baseball coach, Hughes led the Rebels to back-to-back championships in his first two seasons. Coosa Valley defeated Wilcox Academy in the championship game in 2010. The Rebels defeated Crenshaw Christian Academy in 2011. This past season, the Rebels lost in the AISA semifinals.
“I was proud of the job we did at Coosa Valley,” Hughes said. “It made me a better coach and I was lucky that I got the opportunity to have such good players while I was there.
“We had a good run. We were 108-28 in three years and that is hard to do at any level. We have three rings in three years, so that is pretty good. We won 30-plus games all three seasons and 40 games one season; I can’t complain.”
Hughes made his decision to go to Hooper Academy on Thursday. The Hooper Academy Colts compete in Class AAA in AISA. Hughes will also coach the secondary players and receivers for the football team.
“It was a tough day for me (Thursday), but it also marked a new beginning for me,” Hughes said.
Last season the Colts went 7-15 and didn’t make an appearance in the postseason.
“They have a lot of good athletes,” Hughes said. “I just don’t think they have been coached like I am going to coach them. They have never had a full time baseball coach on staff there and it is going to be good for the both of us.
“It is different. Coosa Valley only won one championship before I got there. They had some talent. It is similar, but it is different in a lot of ways.”
Hughes plans to install everything he did when he took over CVA three seasons ago, but he doesn’t know if it will have the same outcome as it did in his first year at CVA.
“I don’t know if I can take them to the championship next year or not,” Hughes said.
“I think I have to get things right there just like I did when I came to Coosa Valley. “It starts with discipline and getting them to where they are dedicated to what they are doing just like I did at Coosa Valley. When I got there I had to do that and then they have to buy in to what we are trying to do. Once you do that things usually go in line. I had good players and good assistant coaches at Coosa Valley.”
The Rebels already replaced Hughes as the head football coach. Arlton Hudson will lead the Rebels on the gridiron this fall.
CVA will start the coaching search for baseball within the next few days.
Contact LaVonte Young at lyoung@dailyhomr.com. Follow him on Twitter at LYoung_DHSports.
