By Andy Villamarzo
Hernando Sun sports writer
WEEKI WACHEE- In a time when high school sports are totally under the radar because of the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 virus, it doesn’t stop schools from appointing new bench bosses for their respective sports.
For Weeki Wachee High School, there’s now a changing of the guard when it comes to a new head coach on the girls basketball team. Weeki Wachee athletic director Patrick McHugh told the Hernando Sun that the school has named Billy Hughes as the next girl’s basketball varsity head coach.
“Billy Hughes will be taking over as the girls varsity basketball coach,” McHugh said. “He has been the junior varsity coach for five years assisting coach (Mike) Munro. We (Principal Mr. LaBarbara and myself) decided that it was his time and hope he can keep building on top of what coach Munro started.”
Hughes will have his work cut out for him in continuing to build upon what Munro has started over at Weeki Wachee. Coming off a season in which the program just fell short of winning 20 games, the Hornets return one of the more talented rosters in the area and should be a contender for the 2020-2021 campaign.
Munro is retiring from coaching and spent the last five years at Weeki Wachee with an overall record of 105-37. He oversaw a program that reached the state final four, won two district championships and was a district runner-up once. Also throw in the caveat of the Hornets winning four county titles under his watch.
The Hornets are just a season removed from being in the state semifinals under Munro’s direction. Hughes was there every step of the way in helping guide Weeki Wachee to the Class 5A state semifinals. Now the first time varsity head coach will look to replicate the 2018-2019 success and guide the Hornets back into the postseason.
The talented trio of Sy Crowley, Princess Hester and Morgan McDaniel was one of the top groups in the Tampa Bay area, as each of the players averaged over 15 points or more per game. Crowley led the trio at 17 points per game as a sophomore. Hester, who is also a sophomore, averaged 15.9 points per game and McDaniel ended the season at 16 per contest.
With all three players slated to return next season, the future is most certainly bright for Hughes and Weeki Wachee for the 2020-2021 campaign. The bigger question that will lay in wait is when can students return to school and when can student-athletes get back to school organized training? The COVID-19 virus is dictating when sports will resume and unfortunately for the time being, it doesn’t look like anytime soon.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
