After six years of serving as an assistant coach for various teams at The Rock, Brian Findley is finally getting his chance to lead one.
Coach B, as he’s known to our athletes, will take the reins of the school’s Varsity Team — even though he wasn’t necessarily seeking to be a head coach.
“When Coach (Justin) Harden presented the idea of being the head coach of the Varsity Team, I wasn’t certain that I was ready for it,” Findley said. “But after praying, thinking it over, and talking to my wife about it, I figured it was coming at the right time for me and our program.”
Learning to Compete
Born and raised in Gainesville, Findley graduated from Buchholz High School and was a three-year starter for the Bobcats basketball team. The youngest of three boys, Findley knows how to compete.
“My brothers would beat the mess out of me until I got bigger than them,” he said. “But I never backed down then and it taught me a valuable lesson about always rising to a challenge.”
A Championship Pedigree
Findley played two years at Santa Fe College and won back-to-back conference championships, including an undefeated conference record in his sophomore year.
He then transferred to Wingate University in North Carolina for his final two years, where he won two more conference championships and the school’s first NCAA playoff appearance.
His four years of championship-grade college experience have proved to be valuable at The Rock. As an assistant coach on the boys’ middle school team, Findley added two more championships in 2017 and 2019. He has since served as an assistant for The Rock’s Regional and National teams, especially working with the forwards and centers.
Preparing for What’s Next
“I have been able to let some of the players know that what you experience here at The Rock will help prepare you for what college brings,” Findley said.
“Even though I played JUCO and D2 ball, and many of our players play D1, the preparation and experience are much the same. Hard work will create an opportunity for you to succeed — regardless of your talent. So just keep working hard until your opportunity comes.”
The Season Ahead
The Regional team competed as a Coastal JV team last year in the SIAA. This year, the Varsity team will compete in the Sunshine Division of the SIAA and look to continue to build on the successes of the past two seasons.
Findley, no doubt, will be up for the challenge.
