Aztecs’ Duane Jr. stepping down; search underway for a successor

DuaneBRH_1402After leading the Aztecs to a historic four straight state championships and earning the title of MaxPreps 2015 National High School Basketball Coach of the Year, Corona del Sol High School head basketball coach Sam Duane Jr. is stepping down. Duane, who will remain a teacher at Corona, wants to spend more time with his family and in the classroom, and to continue pursuing his administrative certification. He shared his decision with his players and sent a letter to their parents:

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Dear Aztec Family,
As some of you may know by now, I have resigned my
position as the Basketball Coach at Corona del Sol. I have
taken the necessary time after the conclusion of the season
to make sure this is the right decision for me, and feel the
time is right.
I believe I have given my best to Corona Basketball the
last 12 years and have enjoyed being your coach. I now
want to take some time and look at all my options going
forward. It is also very important for me to finish my
administrative certification which will allow me to grow
both professionally and personally.
I want to sincerely thank each and every parent that
has been a part of our program. Your support of me and
the program has been a huge part of our success and
for that I am grateful. I hope in some small way I have
impacted your son in a positive way.
I would like to thank every player that I have had the
pleasure to coach for their hard work and sacrifices. I
treasure the great relationships that we have formed and
look forward to continuing these in the future.
Thank you to my administration, faculty, staff, student
body and all my coaches for our tremendous help and
support. I appreciate each and every one of you!!
I hope everyone will understand and support my
decision. It has been a wonderful 12 years and I will
always cherish my time as the coach at Corona del Sol.
— Sincerely, Sam Duane

Duane’s ties to Corona del Sol run deep. As a youngster, he served as a ball boy for his dad, Corona coaching legend Sam Duane Sr. Duane Jr. went on to play for his dad while a student at Corona and later worked as one of his assistant coaches. “Sam has been such a great leader for our students. We are proud to work with him every day and we fully support his decision.” said Corona del Sol Principal Brent Brown. “Obviously we have some very large shoes to fill, but we are confident Corona’s tradition of excellence on the court and off will attract highly qualified candidates to continue the success here.” Said TUHSD Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Baca: “I admire Sam for his professionalism and for his decision to do what he needs to do. He and the Duane family have remained dedicated to Tempe Union, giving back to our students for many years and we are truly thankful for them.” Duane became just the third boys basketball head coach in Corona history when he returned to his alma mater to take over the program in 2003. Under his leadership, the Aztecs were 276-87 and qualified for the state tournament in each of his 12 seasons. In 2015 the Aztecs captured a fourth straight AIA Division I State Championship – it’s the first time since Phoenix Union did it from 1958 to 1961. Corona finished this season ranked No. 8 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 1 in Arizona. Duane became the first Arizona big division coach to win four consecutive state basketball titles. He was named MaxPreps National Boys Basketball Coach of the Year, AIA Division I Coach of the Year and Section Coach of the Year. Duane graduated from Grand Canyon University in 1992 with a degree in exercise science and received a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from NAU in 2002. He was the first head coach in school history at Mesquite High School in Gilbert and worked as an assistant coach at Phoenix College and Mesa Community College. His coaching career spanned a total of 25 seasons, 18 as head coach. Tempe Union will immediately begin searching for a new coach. Candidates may apply at www.tuhsd.k12.az.us.

To Coach Sam Duane Jr: Thanks for a career well spent

By Alex Zener

Editor’s note: Alex Zener, longtime Wrangler News
sports columnist, has known Coach Duane for the
last dozen or so years, including the time Alex spent
as co-captain of Corona’s boys basketball team.
Since graduating from Corona and ASU, Zener has
written thousands of words not only about Coach
Duane but about the hundreds of boys who played
under Duane’s tutelage. The following is what may
be one of Zener’s last commentaries on the coach—
and the team—for which he says he always will
have fond memories.

Coach Sammy Duane Jr., who made his mark on Corona’s boys basketball program by leading his team to four consecutive Division I championships, was named MaxPreps National Coach of the Year on April 7, a fitting memorial to a remarkable career. Coach Duane took over the Aztec basketball program 12 seasons ago, winning 275 out of 362 games—most of the losses coming in the beginning of his tenure during the formative years of Corona’s rebuilding program. During those last years, Coach Duane was able to build a winning culture based on sacrificing individual greatness for the sake of winning as a team. This culture really took hold and started to permeate Aztec basketball from the freshman to varsity level in 2010, when Corona made it to the Division I quarterfinals with a 23-6 record. The attitude of playing as a team and winning the big games because of it was evident when they struggled in the 2011-12 semifinals to defeat Desert Vista 49-46 and went on to beat Cesar Chavez 66-53 in the finals. The attitude grew stronger in the 2012-13 state tournament when the team had to dig deep to tie the game in regulation and take two overtime periods to defeat Phoenix Mountain Pointe by one. The Aztecs then rallied from seven down in the final three minutes of the 2012-13 finals to defeat Phoenix Pinnacle by four points, 63-59, to win their second straight championship. It took the 15 players on Corona’s basketball team 96 days in the 2013-14 season, playing 35 games with targets on their backs, to 3-peat as Arizona’s Division I state basketball champions by defeating Pinnacle 71-70 in overtime at Jobing.com arena. This most recent 2014-15 season was hard work but awesome to watch at times as the Aztecs confronted challenge after challenge, including flying to Springfield, Mass., to take on and defeat Putnam Vo-Tech in a tight 60-57 game. Central gave the Aztecs a hard-fought battle in the Sectionals and quarterfinals of the state tournament. The Aztecs played probably their most complete defensive and offensive game of the season in the finals against Desert Vista, 57-32, to win their fourth straight Division state championship. The last four years have been unbelievable to the Aztec fans, players and Coach Duane as well. The record speak for itself. Every single team since Coach Duane took over in 2003 made it to the state tournament. The Aztecs compiled a 127-7 record in the last four seasons and has not lost to another Arizona team since January 2013. The Aztecs are nationally ranked in the top 8 teams in the nation. Coming up next season: The team will lose senior starters Dane Kuiper and Cassius Peat along with sixth man Isiah Bolton and fellow seniors Sam Shoultz, Trevor Davies and Tanner Millyard, but will hopefully return starters Alex Barcello, Marvin Bagley III and Tyrell Henderson along with Saben Lee, Jeffrey McCain, Jordan Bryant, Shane Grier, Nate Marshall and Jake Burroughs.

To these players, to those who have gone
before and, of course, to Coach Duane, we
offer thanks for a great ride and hopes that
future teams will benefit from the same
spirit, the same determination and the same
strength of leadership that Corona has seen
over the past decade-plus.
Thanks, Coach, for all you’ve accomplished
and all you’ve given of yourself to make this a
truly memorable experience for us all.

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