With the stroke of a single pen, St. Pete’s Admiral Farragut Academy just became one of the premier basketball destinations in the state, hiring a legend of the sport who automatically becomes one of the top high school basketball coaches in the country. The elite college preparatory school announced last week that it has hired former Pitt and Navy head coach Paul Evans to become its newest varsity basketball coach, just ahead of the season tipping off November 1.
The hire is huge news for Farragut, as Evans steps into the role with a resumé` already more impressive than most collegiate head coaches, let alone at the high school level. The celebrated architect of the “power offense” led his teams to seven NCAA Tournament appearances during a D-1 college coaching career that established Navy as a national powerhouse and saw Pitt rise all the way to No. 2 in the country.
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Evans, to Farragut’s great fortune, moved to Treasure Island following his retirement at Pitt. But then, like so many coaches before him, he got the itch to return to the game. As luck would have it for both parties, Admiral Farragut Academy was searching for a new head coach this offseason, and Evans saw the perfect opportunity to return to coaching and developing young stars.
In fact, it’s that ability to help his pupils grow as players and people for which Evans was so celebrated. His ability as a tactician helped his teams consistently outperform the competition, and his player development ensured that his players got the absolute most out their ability. Beyond the game itself, perhaps Evans’ most impactful quality is that he runs programs in which his players graduate and lead successful, productive lives. That dedication to academics and personal development, more than anything, is what makes Evans such a perfect pairing at a college preparatory school like Admiral Farragut Academy.
Evans brings elite coaching style to Admiral Farragut Academy
Evans began his rise to fame at Division III St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., blazing a path that saw the head coach amass 392 victories over 21 seasons. And he not only developed great players, like former Dream Team star, and Navy and San Antonio Spurs All-Star, David Robinson; Evans is responsible for one of the most impressive coaching trees in the country, having such greats under his tutelage as John Calipari, Sean Miller, Doug Wojcik, and current USF head coach Brian Gregory.
Of course, while Evans is a legend in his own right, the program he’s taking over is an impressive one itself. The Farragut varsity team enters the year as the defending district champs, with the season’s tip-off right around the corner on November 1.
Evans joins Admiral Farragut Academy as the elite college preparatory school celebrates its 90th anniversary of developing leaders. Steeped in history, with alumni in the White House, on the surface of the moon, and in leadership positions worldwide, Admiral Farragut Academy focuses on elite academics and outstanding personal leadership development.
Learn more about the local, historic academy in our recent profile of Farragut here. Admiral Farragut Academy is a private, coed, international college preparatory school with a world-renowned boarding school program on the water in tropical St. Pete, close to beaches and a vibrant downtown harbor. Discover more at farragut.org.
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