The Fair Grove girls basketball team is welcoming a new coach, Gary Greene, for the 2023-2024 season. Greene is a veteran coach, having coached both girls basketball and baseball.
Greene has been coaching for 23 years, with very respectable honors in his career. “I have been named district [basketball] coach of the year six times and MBCA baseball coach of the year in 2017,” Greene stated.
Assistant basketball coach, Jeremy Faubion, defined Greene as an old school and laid back coach. Faubion stated, “When he is teaching, he is thorough and explains things in a calm and simple manner. He is old school because he demands that players work hard and do things the right way, and if they don’t he’s not afraid to let them know about it.”
Greene’s goals for the team and the team’s goals are very similar, if not the same. Taylor Green (12), is expecting to accomplish back-to-back state titles. Greene is hoping to win as many games as possible this year. This could include a state championship game.
While being a coach and retired teacher, Greene is also a husband, father, and grandfather. “I have a beautiful wife of 26 years, Erin, one son, three daughters and twin grandbabies,” Greene explained. Both Daniels and Faubion describe him as a family man with a very caring family.
While coaching may take a lot of Greene’s time, he expressed how he had many other hobbies. “I golf a lot, hunt a lot and love to play guitar and listen to Van Halen,” He is also a licensed preacher with the Assemblies of God. Faubion described Greene as a faith based person.
Basketball player, Rebecca Kepes (10), describes him as passionate and driven. “…Coach Greene is a very driven coach and has the same passion for our goals and it makes our team want to work harder.”
Although it is still early in the season and Greene and the team are getting to know one another, Brooke Daniels (11) included what she has learned so far. “… What I do know is that he loves to compete, he loves his family, and he is a man of God.”
Greene hopes to leave a positive impact on the program. He hopes to be a role model for the kids in Fair Grove. Seeing as the girls basketball team is currently undefeated, his goals have seemed to be accomplished so far.
The girls basketball team’s next game will be playing their next game at home against El Dorado Springs on Monday, December 18. December 27th through the 30th, the varsity team will be participating in the Pink and White Tournament in Springfield.
