Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Breaking News: Fitzsimmons back as HC at Dallas Jesuit
Dallas Jesuit College Preparatory, which made the UIL 5A playoffs in both of its first seasons in the league, announced Monday that assistant head coach and former head coach Jack Fitzsimmons will once against guide the Rangers basketball program, as he did in 2000-2001.
The position became vacant four weeks ago when Fred Younkman announced that he would be the first boys' head basketball coach at Denton Guyer, a new to-be-opened high school in the Denton Independent School District.
"I'm definitely thrilled to be named once again as Jesuit's head basketball coach," Fitzsimmons told WalkSports.com this afternoon. Fitzsimmons, who has been a part of the Rangers basketball program for 13 years (1980-84, 1994-2000 and 2003-05) took over the job originally from current Dallas St. Mark's coach Scott Jolly in the summer of 2000. However, his positions as the Director of Admissions, Senior Guidance Counselor and English teacher made that go of it a challenge.
"While it was difficult to step down after just one season, it was best at the time for the school and for me because of my duties," he said. "After one season of missing coaching terribly, I returned to be an assistant on Fred Younkman's staff in the fall of 2002."
In its two seasons in the UIL, Younkman guided the Rangers to marks of 17-12 and 19-11 overall and 9-3 and 9-5 in district, respectively. Both seasons, Jesuit exited the first round of the playoffs with losses to Hurst L.D. Bell in 2004 (71-68 overtime) and Dallas Skyline in 2005 (48-40).
Fitzsimmons, who teams up with Tom Walsh on the school's football broadcasts, will continue his role as the school's Senior Guidance Counselor although this stint as the Rangers head basketball coach will no longer see him as the Director of Admissions.
The position became vacant four weeks ago when Fred Younkman announced that he would be the first boys' head basketball coach at Denton Guyer, a new to-be-opened high school in the Denton Independent School District.
"I'm definitely thrilled to be named once again as Jesuit's head basketball coach," Fitzsimmons told WalkSports.com this afternoon. Fitzsimmons, who has been a part of the Rangers basketball program for 13 years (1980-84, 1994-2000 and 2003-05) took over the job originally from current Dallas St. Mark's coach Scott Jolly in the summer of 2000. However, his positions as the Director of Admissions, Senior Guidance Counselor and English teacher made that go of it a challenge.
"While it was difficult to step down after just one season, it was best at the time for the school and for me because of my duties," he said. "After one season of missing coaching terribly, I returned to be an assistant on Fred Younkman's staff in the fall of 2002."
In its two seasons in the UIL, Younkman guided the Rangers to marks of 17-12 and 19-11 overall and 9-3 and 9-5 in district, respectively. Both seasons, Jesuit exited the first round of the playoffs with losses to Hurst L.D. Bell in 2004 (71-68 overtime) and Dallas Skyline in 2005 (48-40).
Fitzsimmons, who teams up with Tom Walsh on the school's football broadcasts, will continue his role as the school's Senior Guidance Counselor although this stint as the Rangers head basketball coach will no longer see him as the Director of Admissions.
