"I am extremely excited to announce the hiring of our next head girls basketball coach," athletic director Eric Stauffer said. "It is our very own Heather Marshall.
Girls’ basketball coach Chris Cavanaugh steps down, Heather Marshall to replace him
Posted Sept. 28, 2021
Staff Editor
After six years as the girls’ basketball coach, Chris Cavanaugh has stepped down, and ELA teacher Heather Marshall has been hired to replace him.
"I am extremely excited to announce the hiring of our next head girls basketball coach," athletic director Eric Stauffer stated in an all-staff email. "It is our very own Heather Marshall. Please give her a huge congratulations if you see her today. She did an amazing job during her interview and I look forward to her continuing the successes of the Girls Basketball team."
“My first varsity game as head coach, we had our pregame meeting, where I was trying to fire up the girls so they were ready to play. I had a great pregame speech, executed it to perfection, when I yelled, ‘okay, let’s go do this!’ The girls looked at me and one of the seniors said, ‘So, can we do our pregame dance now?’ And they proceeded to turn on some music and do a full choreographed dance routine and then ran out ready to play. That never happened coaching boys…”
- Outgoing girls' basketball coach Chris Cavanaugh
Cavanaugh doesn’t have any concerns facing the upcoming season, he is excited about the team’s chances and is ready to see how they do. He will help Marshall transition and will continue to provide support to keep everything running smoothly. He also has daughters playing basketball within DDSD so he will continue to participate in basketball around the district. He knows that the girls are great players and their support systems within the program will continue to support them throughout the season.
“I made the tough decision to step down as the head coach mainly to have more time to spend with family,” he said. “We have three busy kids that I want to be able to be around and support them in their activities. I also started a new position at DDHS and did not want to have too much going on where I could not give basketball the focus and energy it needs and deserves.”
Cavanaugh is thankful for the opportunity he had that let him work with the Girl’s Basketball Program. He is proud of the team’s success on the court and how they have become a playoff-contending team each season.
“My first varsity game as head coach, we had our pregame meeting, where I was trying to fire up the girls so they were ready to play,” said Cavanaugh on one of his favorite memories from coaching. “I had a great pregame speech, executed it to perfection, when I yelled, ‘okay, let’s go do this!’ The girls looked at me and one of the seniors said, ‘So, can we do our pregame dance now?’ And they proceeded to turn on some music and do a full choreographed dance routine and then ran out ready to play. That never happened coaching boys.”
"For the past eight years I have been working with the DDHS Women's basketball program in many different roles and I am looking forward to taking on the role as head coach. I'm excited to work with the great athletes we have at DDHS and I know the upcoming season will be a memorable one. We are thankful for Coach Cavanaugh's hard work and hope to continue to build a strong program for many years to come." - Heather Marshall
The school is still in the application process, candidates had until Sept. 22 to submit applications and the interview process will be taking place on Sept. 29. In the interview process, the school was looking for a coach who is a positive, knowledgeable, and energetic presence. The coach must prioritize teaching their players character, keeping their team standard high in terms of effort, behavior, and academics. Marshall is expected to spend time offseason bettering the program as well as working with youth players. The school wanted to hire someone with coaching experience, but they were willing to hire either an educator part of the DDSD or an outside candidate.
The school received four applications by Sept. 22, two of those applicants then moved onto the interview process before Marshall was decided upon to be the head coach.
“I believe the girls will be in great hands after the hiring process,” said athletic director Eric Stauffer during the hiring process.