Basketball fans in the Silverton High area suffered a double blow about a year ago when both Foxes coaches, boys coach Jamie McCarty and girls coach Tal Wold, resigned.
Arguably they were the two most successful coaches in school history. McCarty lost just one league game in his five seasons, while finishing second, third and fourth at state. Wold won a state title with a perfect 28-0 team in 2016 and also had teams finish second and third.
Even their resignations were similar. McCarty was challenged by the combination of his administrative load and coaching, while Wold needed to adjust his schedule so his wife Taryn, could complete some night classes that would allow her to move into administration
Neither man was 50. And both hinted that it was likely that they would return, if the schedules would align favorably. Wold seemed likely to return first because Taryn’s program was a one-year deal. McCarty was less certain pending the annual administrative shuffle at district schools. But when he went from principal of three schools to just Robert Frost for the 2023-24 cycle, that changed things in a big way.
Now, they are both back in the saddle. Former Foxes basketball coach Darren Shryock, now the athletic director at Stayton, hired Wold to coach the Eagles girls, and McCarty will be back with the Foxes boys come next fall. Check that. Watch Twitter. McCarty is back NOW. He’s already opening up the gym and seeing who wants to take charge the most. And posting photos and videos.
McCarty replaced Tyler Allen, who was 11-14 overall and 9-9 in his lone year with the Foxes. Wold takes over for Wendi Nyquist, who Shryock said wants to focus more on her counseling duties. Nyquist was 53-29 in her four years, including a 27-13 Oregon West mark and a 2-3 record in the playoffs.
“I was not sure when I would return,” Wold said. “Some of that depended on how much I missed it and where my wife got an admin job. I feel a new energy and excitement after a year off. (It was) the first winter I did not coach since 1997. I think it was great for my family, but they are ready for me to get back at it. I am putting together a great staff that will work hard for the girls and are great role models.”
McCarty missed it, too.
“No, I did not think I would be back so soon,” he told me. “Last year nearly killed me. I didn’t realize that I really don’t have a lot of hobbies, especially in the winter. Basketball has been it for me. I was going stir crazy and I knew something needed to change for me personally.”
Check out the rosters for the Stayton girls and Silverton boys from last winter. Both squads had three seniors. Wold and McCarty will have young, hungry players waiting to be molded. And they have proven to be good molders.
One of the key ways I analyze coaches is by looking at how ready their teams are to play. Do they take periods or halves off? What type of commitment is there? Is the effort there? You won’t have to worry about that with Wold and McCarty. You can’t go five years with one league loss unless your team is ready to play every night.
Now if ADs Shryock of Stayton and Andy Jones of the Foxes could work out a Silverton-Stayton basketball doubleheader for next December … well, what a Christmas present that would be for hoops fans.
