By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — Hewitt-Trussville has its new varsity boys’ basketball coach.
The Trussville City Board of Education on Monday night approved Jim Sanderson as the next head coach.
VIDEO: Watch an interview with Jim Sanderson.
Sanderson will meet the team Tuesday and his first official day will be May 1.
Sanderson was the head coach at Faulkner University for 24 years, compiling a record of 481-297. He retired in September 2014. His 2001 team won the university’s first-ever NAIA national championship in any sport. Sanderson’s teams won three Southern States Athletic Conference regular season titles, four SSAC tournament championships and made eight trips to the national tournament.
In addition to winning the national championship, Faulkner made appearances in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Fab Four rounds of the national tournament. His 481 victories ranks 10th among active NAIA coaches.
Sanderson, the son of former University of Alabama head basketball coach Wimp Sanderson, played college basketball at Brewer State Community College before earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Alabama in 1982. He’s also coached at Guntersville and Curry high schools.
Sanderson said he’s a Christian man who happens to be a basketball coach.
“It’s way beyond bouncing a ball,” he said.
Neill, Hewitt-Trussville High School Principal Tim Salem and Athletics Director Karen Johns spearheaded the coaching search.
“He’s a great person,” Johns said.
Sanderson said he likes an up-tempo, aggressive style.
“I’m just looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
Sanderson said to build a program, he’s “got to find some guys I can get in the foxhole with.”
“We’ve got to get some guys who are willing to go a little further than what they’ve been used to,” he said. “You’ve got to be uncomfortable in order to get better.”
Mike Dutton resigned as boys’ basketball coach after two seasons. Sanderson makes the fourth Hewitt-Trussville boys’ basketball coach since the 2011-2012 season. Tim Reeves was the coach for the 2011-2012 season, and Zane Arnold spent the 2012-2013 season at Hewitt-Trussville. Dutton was the coach the past two years.
Erik Harris contributed to this story.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.