- November 23, 2024
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Greg Shirley is the third head boys basketball coach that Flagler Palm Coast High School has hired in four years. The Bulldogs would like to see some stability with the program. In Shirley, they hired a veteran coach who has retired as a math teacher but is not ready to hang up his whistle.
Shirley graduated from Lake Brantley High School in 1981 and began coaching in 1985. He will be in his 40th season as a coach, the last two as an assistant at Mainland High.
He coached for 30 years in the Orlando area, including 19 years at Evans High School (15 as an assistant, four as a head coach), and seven years in Tennessee and Georgia. He is a member of the Metro Conference Hall of Fame and the Evans High School Hall of Fame. He has 341 career wins as a head coach, including 132 in six seasons at Brentwood High in Tennessee.
How did you end up in Daytona Beach?
I spent one year in Georgia when my first grandson was being born in the Atlanta area. Then my wife and I decided to retire. We always wanted to live on the beach, so we decided to buy a condo. But I still wanted to be involved in basketball. I have a love of basketball. I’ve done it my whole life. I talked to Coach Giddens at Mainland. I knew he ran a great program, and me and Joe hit it off. We’re still going to stay in close contact. We’re friends for life.
Mainland reached the final four two years in a row during your stint with the Bucs. Why did you decide to take over a team that went 12-13 last year?
I was very proud of what we did at Mainland, but I want to run my own team again. I’m very excited about the FPC job, This is the job I wanted. A long time ago, I was coaching flag football in Orlando, and we came to FPC, and I thought it was a beautiful campus and a beautiful area. I love the area. And my youngest daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law live within two miles of FPC.
Now that you’ve hired a coaching staff and have had a chance to settle in, what’s your impression so far?
“Several seniors graduated, but they had a very, very strong sophomore class last year and a lot of freshmen in the program. They have very good athleticism, so I’m excited in what we have. In the past I’ve had teams that had great shooters and other teams with great size, so I’ve tried to maximize the potential of the players instead of running just one system.
With this team I see a group of young men that really care about each other and have a great work ethic. But we’re still in the midst of getting to know each other. I’m also very excited about my coaching staff. Johnny Hampton (who is assisting his fourth head coach at FPC) is back. Kevin Leslie assisted me at Boone High and played at Flagler College, and Eli Emmanuel played at Ole Miss (1975-77). He played at Bunnell High School in 1973 and went to the state tournament. They’re good men who care about the players. We’re trying to build a family culture. I know there’s been transition each year, but I’m excited to be here and excited to stay here.
Name something about your coaching career that people may not know.
One thing I’m proud of is I’ve coached over 50 players who are now coaches themselves.
