Huneycutt steps down as Bulldogs' basketball coach

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THOMASVILLE - Woody Huneycutt had reached the point several years ago where one could wonder what more he had to accomplish.

Then the long-time Thomasville boys' basketball coach went out and won two more state championships.

Now, after 21 years, it's finally over.

Huneycutt, who will remain athletic director at Thomasville, announced his resignation last Monday, ending one of the most highly successful prep coaching tenures in North Carolina history. The 1975 Thomasville graduate won five state championships, 14 consecutive conference championships and had a career record of 429-128.

So what now?

"I don't know," Huneycutt said. "That's a good question. I think it's a combination of things. The athletic director part is taking up more time. It's getting tougher to do the spring stuff. I actually fell behind this year because of basketball. I had to spend the whole spring trying to catch up."

Huneycutt, who has spent his entire career at Thomasville, won 1-A state championships in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The Bulldogs won conference championships from 1995-2008. It's a streak that was broken only this past spring. Overall, Huneycutt won 15 conference championships and finished second three times.

Huneycutt was also the West coach for the 2006 East-West all-star game, 50 years after his father, Durwood, coached in the same game.

"I feel very fortunate with everything that has happened," Huneycutt said. "I love Thomasville and I'm not leaving Thomasville."

Huneycutt will continue to teach and concentrate on his duties as athletic director as Thomasville moves back to the Central Carolina Conference.

"Woody has done an excellent job as coach," said Thomasville Principal Dirk Gurley. "More importantly, he's a good person."

No one has been named to succeed Huneycutt and Gurley indicated the school would conduct a search.

"We've got some good candidates right here at the school," Huneycutt said. "They'll get a close look."

One obvious candidate, long-time assistant coach Lacardo Means, will not be the new coach. Means has been with Huneycutt for the last 15 years and been involved with all the championships.

"Woody is more than just a fellow coach to me," Means said. "He's like a brother. We've become very good friends over the years. I'm glad he gave me the opportunity to be involved in high school sports. And, yeah, it has been a great 15 years."

Huneycutt and Means, who will remain as girls' varsity basketball coach, had decided long ago they would leave the boys program they built into one of the state's best, at the same time.

"I've been talking about this to him for a good while," Huneycutt said. "He's behind me 100 percent. I told him he could probably have this job if he wanted it. But he wants to keep coaching the girls."

In the end, coaching a major sport like basketball and being a full-time athletic director was too much.

"I'm just a little tired," Huneycutt said. "I felt like maybe this would be the right time. There's no magic answer and I don't really know if this is the right time or not. That's a question where you never do know."

Huneycutt, a High Point College alumnus, spent time coaching middle school football, softball and track.

"When I was in college, I helped out Bobby Suggs with girls' basketball and then I was JV coach for 10 years," Huneycutt said. "I've done a lot of sports besides basketball."

And because his title now is solely athletic director, Huneycutt will be a regular fixture at those sports and all the others at Thomasville. That's fine with him.

"I'm not going anywhere," Huneycutt said. "I'm still at Thomasville. I'll be around to help the other coaches as much as I can."