It was a busy Tuesday and Wednesday across the Texas Panhandle of new head coaches bringing brought in the girls basketball circuit.
Three positions were filled with two of those being in Amarillo at the big school level along with a small school coach in the Amarillo-area.
Highlighting the hires was Class 5A Tascosa filling the void left from veteran head coach Chris Sumrall, who turned the Lady Rebels around into legitimate contenders over the past three years.
The rest of this story is only for subscribers.
On Tuesday, Amarillo ISD athletic Director Brad Thiessen announced that Zachary Tabor will take over the Lady Rebel basketball program. Tabor comes to Tascosa after serving the past three years as head girls basketball coach at San Antonio Reagan.
Prior to that, he spent three years at Argyle High School as the top assistant under Chance Westmoreland.
“When Coach Sumrall announced his retirement, we really believed we would have a strong pool of candidates since this program has reached such a high standard at a statewide level,” Thiessen said. “We were definitely not wrong about that. Throughout this process, we just kept getting outstanding feedback on coach Tabor. As we went through the interview process, he just stood out. We think he will be a great fit and continue the tradition that has been developed at Tascosa.”
While coaching at Argyle, they captured a state championship in 2019 and a state runner-up in 2020. Tabor is excited to be heading to the Texas Panhandle and hopes to continue the steps Sumrall had taken.
“This all started because my wife landed a job with a dental group in Amarillo,” Tabor said. “I had interest in Tascosa from the moment it opened because of what coach Sumrall had done. I’m super excited to be a part of Tascosa and Amarillo ISD. I will bring a familiar culture and we the plan is to keep the momentum going.”
David Castellon promoted to new girls’ basketball coach at West Plains
Tabor wasn’t the only big hire in Amarillo on Tuesday. Following Kevin Richardson leaving coaching at West Plains to take over the principal job at Happy High School, Canyon ISD promoted assistant David Castellon as the new head basketball coach of the Lady Wolves.
“The passion that coach Castellon has shown during his time at West Plains played a key factor in the hiring process,” Canyon ISD athletic director John Peterson said. “This passion goes well beyond the basketball court, and involves the off-season, the classroom and overall well-being of all his student-athletes.”
Castellon has plenty of experience other than his three years under Richardson at West Plains. Castellon has been coaching for 12 years beginning his career in Spearman before taking on multiple leadership roles in Spur. From 2017-2022, he served as the head girls basketball coach, head girls and boys cross country coach, and head girls track coach at Spur High School.
During his time at Spur, Castellon led his cross-country teams to remarkable success, including a regional championship and a third-place finish at the state level in 2017, followed by a second-place finish in 2021. He also led his track team to back-to-back district and area championships in 2021 and 2022.
Throughout his basketball coaching career, Coach Castellon has achieved notable success, compiling an overall head coaching record of 115-53. His accomplishments include leading a team to an undefeated district championship and securing multiple playoff victories.
Most recently, Coach Castellon played a key role in helping establish and shape the athletic culture at the newly opened West Plains High School. His leadership and experience contributed to laying a strong foundation for a growing and competitive program.
During his press conference Wednesday, Castellon expressed his vision for carrying on the West Plains girls basketball program.
“I’m excited to be able to continue to build what coach Richardson and I started,” Castellon said. “Canyon ISD is a phenomenal district and I’ve enjoyed my time here. I think people will see some different style changes but that same intensity that we have had the past three years. We have some great athletes coming up in the system and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Jessica Slover promoted to new girls’ basketball coach at Spearman
On Wednesday, the Spearman ISD school board approved Jessica Slover as the new head girls basketball coach.
“I’m excited for the future of our girls’ program under coach Slover,” Spearman athletic director Michael Lozano said. “Coach Slover brings 10 years of experience, great energy and incredible leadership with work ethic. I believe her coaching style aligns with the values as a district.”
Slover has served as the head girls track and field coach for the Lynxettes and spent the past three years as the assistant basketball coach under Dustin Klafka, who recently took the head girls basketball job at Muleshoe. Prior to Spearman, Slover was the head girls track coach at Perryton and served in the same role as assistant basketball coach for seven years.
“I’m extremely excited for this opportunity,” Slover said. “Spearman has been such a welcoming community to myself and my family. I love the girls I get to coach. They do anything asked of them and I don’t expect that to change. I have an aggressor mentality, and we want to go take what is ours and earn everything we get. I love building relationships, and we will always compete as hard as we can.”