After nearly a six-month search looking for a new athletic director at Anzar High, the Hawks’ athletic department officially has new leadership entering the 2012 season.
Anzar High will split the athletic director duties into two parts and two positions as former San Benito boys basketball coach Tracy Carpenter and Anzar booster president Mike McKinney will take over for the departing Sam Stewart, the school announced Friday.
Carpenter and McKinney will share the athletic director title as they focus on two different aspects of the job, McKinney said. The exact duties for each athletic director is yet to be determined.
“We will work together to continue to build the Anzar sports program,” said McKinney, who has been president of the school’s booster program since 2008.
The announcement comes after the school received 16 applications for the position. The amount of interest was a surprise for Stewart, who was given the job three years prior as the only applicant.
“I really don’t know what that is, but I think it’s because of everything we’ve accomplished,” Stewart said.
The former athletic director, who will stay on as the girls basketball and baseball coach, served as an advisor during the search, he said. Anzar principal Charlene McKowen, who did not return phone calls, did the hiring.
Carpenter, who left San Benito High before last season to coach basketball in China, accepted the job last week, Stewart said.
Part of the agreement between Carpenter and McKinney includes McKinney to be on campus during school hours, while Carpenter will take over in the evening, Stewart said.
The arrangement will allow both athletic directors to focus on what they are good at, McKinney said.
As the daytime athletic director, McKinney wants to focus on getting students and parents more actively involved with the program, he said. He expects more communication between the students, parents and coaches.
“We don’t want there to be any excuses not to play sports,” McKinney said. “I want to start a different type of outreach program.”
McKinney wants parents to be more involved with the sports programs every day, he said.
“I want to put a process into place that allows parents to be there,” he said. “There will be more communication within the school and the sports department. It starts with the little things.”
With two athletic directors, fewer things should be missed by the administration, McKinney said.
“We are going to have two people doing a job that one person did,” he said. “That will stop some things from just falling through the cracks. I think it will help.”
Overall, McKinney expects to continue to see improvement from the school’s athletic programs, including football. Eventually, McKinney hopes to build the same enthusiasm for the schools’ other sports, he said.
“We want to build on what they’ve done and put the school in good footing,” he said.
Carpenter did not return phone calls before press time.
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