All of a sudden local schools looking to replace basketball vacancies:

Openings at Hanceville, Good Hope, Holly Pond & West Point girls:

GDW Analysis:
A week after Good Hope's Lady Raiders won the AHSAA 4A state basketball championship, four schools in the Cullman County system are in search of replacing vacancies.
The first was at Hanceville High School when Stephen Chandler retired after leading the Bulldogs to 8 seasons, accounting for 99 victories with his best season being 23 & 8 in his first year with the school in 2018/19.
Good Hope High School is now seeking to fill its position.
Mitch Morris took over the Raiders before the start of fall practice in 2025 when his son Griffin stepped away after he coached the squad in the summer.
The Raiders were 8 & 16 in 2025/26, getting ousted in the 1st round of the 4A Area 13 tournament to East Lawrence.
On Thursday, Holly Pond High School has an opening after Tim Willoughby announced he is retiring. Willoughby coached the past 3 years at Holly Pond getting 35 wins.
He had 10 years with the Cold Springs Eagles leading them to victories and six area championship berths.
That gives him a total of 200 victories between two schools from Cullman County. Willoughby coached 23 years in the AHSAA and is well known for his success from leading programs in Cullman, Walker and Madison counties.
Now the latest news is coming from West Point High School.
The 5A school is now in the process of replacing girls' coach John Welborn.
Welborn guided the Lady Warriors from 2016 to 2026 with West Point winning 214 games.
Welborn's final season was memorable at 28 wins and only 2 losses, the best single season winning percentage in West Point Lady Warriors history.
Welborn had the Lady Warriors to enjoy 7 years of at least 22 victories or more.
His final three years with the 5A school accounted for 70 wins and only 14 losses with 3 area championships and 3 berths into the sub regional round of the playoffs.
All schools have made this public in the process of accepting applications in the quest to fill the current vacated position.
This story from Gameday Weekly comes the day the AHSAA set reclassification for basketball for 2026 through 2028 on Friday afternoon.
Hanceville & Holly Pond will share the same area in 3A while Good Hope and West Point will compete in the same area in 4A the next two seasons.

Photo of former West Point girls basketball coach John Welborn (left) with Arab coach Terrance Maze in a game at Priceville High School November 15, 2025.
GDW photo by Johnny Thornton.