Belgreen’s Watson resigns
J.R. Tidwell/FCT
Former Belgreen head boys basketball coach Greg Watson walks the side of the court during a game against rival Phil Campbell. Watson returned to Belgreen before last school year after an intended move to a school in Tennessee fell through.
Greg Watson has been the head basketball coach for a few years now at Belgreen. He has amassed some success during his tenure, as area titles have racked up. His team generally being considered the group to beat in local 1A basketball, and he has posted victories over much larger schools.
Last summer Watson said he was going to take a job in Tullahoma, Tenn., but that position fell through.
It was clear that the talented coach was looking for something bigger and better, and once again Watson is moving to another school. Unlike last time, however, he is unlikely to make a surprise return this go around.
Watson has accepted the head coaching job at Crestview High School in Crestview, Fla.
“It’s one of those things,” Watson said. “I have goals as a coach. I am from a big school and I’ve coached at bigger schools, and this has been a goal of mine.
“I knew I wanted to coach at a bigger school, but I didn’t know when it would happen.
“I wasn’t necessarily dying to make it happen, but the opportunity at Crestview in Florida came about, I became interested in the job.
“After meeting with the principal and finding out what kind of players they had coming back next season, I felt like it was a really good opportunity for me.”
Watson has led Belgreen to much success, but the Bulldogs compete in 1A in Alabama. The school only has about 88 kids in class per day. Crestview is over 18 times that size.
“Crestview is a 7A school in Florida,” Watson said. “They have a little over 1,800 kids.
“They have really good athletes, and they have post player that is a four-star football recruit committed to Kentucky.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to coach there and get involved in the community. They were 14-13 last year, so I’m hoping I can go in and be successful right off the bat.”
Though Watson may be leaving Belgreen, he said he will always remember certain things about his time in the small town.
“One of the things that I will always take with me is the relationship I built with some people around community and my players,” he said.
“They were a good group of guys. The people n and around the program gave the atmosphere a family-type feel.
“The people in Belgreen are really nice and excited about basketball, and they accepted me when I came there.
“I will take those things with me. There are three or four games that stand out to me.
“When we beat Phil Campbell two years ago on a last-second shot (a three by Chaney Simmons) was big because you always remember winning on a last-second shot.
“There are several good moments to think about, but the relationships I built are what I will remember most.”
The Bulldogs have made the sub-region game in both of the last two years, so the school is accustomed to making the playoffs each year. The school has also won some county and area titles under Watson, so his successor will have some big shoes to fill.
“I came there four years ago and had a couple of subpar seasons to start with,” Watson said.
“My first year there we had won only three games going into the area tournament, and we ended up winning it. We lost the sub-regional game.
“We were very competitive that year. No one really blew us out.
“The guys believed in me and got better as the year went along. We had a good year the next year, and that next season Josh [DeVaney] getting hurt impacted how far we went.
“It was nothing but positive. We won at least 20 games twice.
“Overall from a basketball standpoint I am very pleased with where I am leaving the program.”
