Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Williams Leaves Gurdon

Moving on is never easy.

Usually, it means leaving friends and people cared about behind.

Such is the case with Donald Williams, who has taken the job as junior boys coach at Arkadelphia. Williams spent 10 years working with the Go-Devil program in Gurdon, the last seven as senior girls basketball coach.

In his seven years as the Lady Devil leader, they won the conference five times outright and were runner up the other two seasons.

For the 1995-96 season, Gurdon's last in the 7AA conference, the Lady Devils were picked to finish at the end of the pack. Williams, though, had other ideas. He challenged his team to leave the league with something to remember them by -- an unblemished conference mark.

This is exactly what the Lady Devils did, going 6-0 in league play. But, a late season injury to a key player proved to be prohibitive to Gurdon's going far in post-season play.

Still, making the decision to leave Gurdon was a tough one for Williams. He said it was the toughest decision he's had to make in a long time. The Lady Devils will have three returning starters, Alecia Clayborn, Tameka Hatley and LaVonda Young, coming back for the 1997- 98 season.

Williams said he was looking forward to returning for the coming year on the hardwood with these players returning. But, when the job came open at Arkadelphia he was asked to apply.

This he did and got the job. Last year, he had applied for the position as coach of the Lady Badgers.

His new duties at Arkadelphia will include helping coach football and assisting the senior boys basketball coach.

Bobby Smithson, Gurdon superintendent, said the district will miss Williams, but wishes him well in his new position.

"He took his job seriously," Smithson said. "He took care of business."

The physical move will be quite easy for Williams as he already lives in Arkadelphia. All he will have to do is clean out his office at the gym.

But the emotional part of the move wasn't easy. "It was hard for me to decide," he said. "You don't work somewhere for 10 years and up and go.

"There were several people in Gurdon who talked to me, wanting me to stay. I've got a lot of good friends here.

"In the end, though, this was the decision I came up with and will go on from there."

What also made the decision difficult, he said, was knowing the Lady Devils were going to have a good year next season, and he has no idea of the talent he will have at Arkadelphia.

In addition, Williams had no down seasons at Gurdon -- even when the team was predicted to be down.

He credited this with the work ethic the teams have had and the reputation Gurdon has for being competitive.

Williams said teams playing the Devils know the history and tradition Gurdon has and tend to be a bit intimidated.

He praised his players for always giving it everything they had on the court, no matter how they felt. This, he added, also helped keep the winning tradition going.

In fact, his girls haven't lost a regular season home game in the past two years. And, Williams will leave Gurdon with a perfect mark in the new gym. The Lady Devils were never challenged good in their new home.

Leaving the coaching staff at GHS behind is also hard for Williams. He said they worked well together and had a good relationship with one another.

Williams recommended Sandra Hatley as his replacement with the Lady Devils. Hatley has been working with the junior girls team for the past several years and as Williams's assistant with the senior crew.

Smithson said this hasn't been put before the Gurdon School Board yet, as the board didn't meet until Tuesday, June 24. However, he anticipates this happening.

"We could move Hatley up," Smithson said. "She's done well and I think she's ready. But I haven't talked to the board yet."

Smithson said the district will also have to hire someone to replace Williams as the Alternative Learning School instructor.

For Williams' part, though, he is leaving behind a school rich in tradition, filled with friends as he takes this next step in his life.

There are no bad memories for him, he said, only good ones -- and many of these.