HOCO’s Hudson awarded Region 1-6A Coach of the Year honors

What a difference a year makes. The 2019 Region 1-6A Coach of the Year is Houston County head man Don Hudson. A year ago the Bears were at the bottom of the region standings, a team with tons of potential and experience but low on what it took to win games. In a conversation with late in the 2018-19 season I remember him saying that the season and the losses that came with it were going to be good for his team. A year later the Bears, 16-9 overall, are Region 1-6A tournament champions, are hosting their state playoff first round game on Saturday night and because of that are one of the favorites to advance to the second round. What a difference a year makes indeed.

“I am humbly grateful for my peers to even think of me as such,” said Hudson via text late Thursday night, hours after finding out he had won the award. Bears seniors Xavier Duncan and Austin Sloan were also awarded Co-Player of the Year and Co-Offensive Player of the Year, respectively. “All I know how to do is go to work and try to put guys in the best position in order for them to succeed.”

Along with assistant coaches Matt Topping, Matthew Hudson III, Jamarkus Williams and Perry Weaver, Hudson took a Bears team brimming with talent and turned it into a talented team headed to the state playoffs as a contender and not the first round fodder the program had been in the recent past. “The staff that I have is by far the best that any coach could ever work with,” added Hudson. “As a group of players, a staff, an administration and a community, we just went to work to individually minimize our flaws and weaknesses in order to get better each time we stepped on the court.”

A four-game losing streak late in the season did not stop Hudson from keeping his senior-laden team focussed and prepared for the region tournament and for games they needed to win in order to get in the state playoffs. The Bears are in the big dance and their head coach is feeling the love throughout the county and region. “I think it’s a huge accolade for him,” says long time friend, Warner Robins head basketball coach and the 2019 Region 1-5A Coach of the Year Jamaal Garman. “It shows that he has a good, successful program this season and I hope he has many more.”

“I couldn’t be happier that coach Hudson was named coach of the year,” said Topping. “He is such an incredible coach to these young men. Not only does he hold them accountable, he encourages and inspires them to reach levels they didn’t know they were capable of achieving.”

Toppin describes Hudson as “a true man of God” and “an outstanding family man.” These days we are going to have to add Region Coach of the Year to that list.

“It’s truly blessings from God,” adds Hudson.