– The Greenwood Rangers basketball program has been moving in the right direction for several years and the hiring of a new head coach could be the difference needed to make a huge leap forward.
Dustin Faught, who spent the last three seasons as Midland High boys basketball coach, has been hired as Greenwood boys basketball coach.
Faught takes over for Marcus Morris, who took a job as Greenwood assistant principal after coaching the Rangers to a 46-22 record, two second-place finishes and two postseason appearances in two seasons.
Faught, in his third year with MHS, led the Bulldogs to an impressive turnaround with a 19-13 record one season after they went 9-22 and were winless in district play.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season in a threeway tie for third but lost in a play-in tournament for the district’s final two playoff spots.
Faught is best known for coaching Brownfield to the 2016 Class 3A state championship in boys basketball. He also served as head boys basketball coach at Tahoka (2009-10), Brownfield (2010-16) and San Angelo Central (2016-20). Faught was named the South Plains Coach of the Year by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal three times and as a classroom social studies teacher, he was named the 2016 Brownfield High School Teacher of the Year.
“We actually interviewed several really, really strong candidates,” Hill said. “Dustin obviously has a very strong resume. It’s been very impressive what he has been able to do at Brownfield and some of the other stops in his coaching career. We really liked that he is a West Texas guy. We really liked the energy and the passion he brings to every team he’s coached. We’re just excited to get to welcome that to Greenwood.”
Faught, native of Ozona, graduated from Ozona High School in 2001 and went on to play basketball and run track at Wayland Baptist University and he also played basketball at McMurry University.
His father Dickie also coached small school basketball, leading 1988 Brownfield girls team with Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes to a state title, and Ozona girls teams to consecutive state championships in 1995 and 1996.
Faught said the professionalism and energy of the Greenwood administration impressed him, from Superintendent Ariel Elliott to principal Stacy Jones to Hill. He also mentioned he wanted to get back to a small school environment, similar to what he grew up in.
“I’m from a small town and went to a small school,” Faught said. “I was able to play a bunch of sports and really be involved. I always kind of had a thing for small, close-knit communities. With my two sons getting older and being really, really involved in sports, it was a great opportunity for us. They’ve got a tradition of winning out there that is obviously very appealing. They’ve had some great coaches in the past that have really done a great job with the program and a great job of developing young kids, so the program is in a really good spot. They’ve very competitive and win a bunch of games at every level.”
Faught takes over a Greenwood program that has been one of the area’s better boys basketball teams in recent years.
Prior to Morris, Nate Bridges coached the Rangers to an 85-44 mark, four straight playoff appearances and the 2019-20 District 5-4A championship over four seasons.
“I think that’s one of the things that attracted Dustin to the job honestly, it’s not a complete rebuild by any stretch of the imagination,” Hill said. “Coach Bridges did a great job several years ago and then Coach Morris did a fantastic job when he was at the helm. We’re returning several starters on a team that is built for a lot of success in the next several years, so I’m excited to entrust that to Coach Faught and watch him put his stamp on the program.”
He and his wife, Sterling, are the parents of two young boys, Hudson and Grayden.
“They love playing any sports that involve a ball,” said Faught of his boys. “One big selling point for us was our boys already play sports with a bunch of kids from Greenwood.”
Faught added, “We know going out there they already have a social circle and there are parents that we’ve gotten to know pretty well. It’s a great job for me but it’s also a great situation for my boys and my family.”