By Malcolm Butler
For the third time in as many years, Simsboro High School will have a new boys basketball coach.
Adam Wodach follows Randy Carlisle, who spent just one year on the Simsboro sideline before resigning in April to pursue other career opportunities.
Simsboro principal Lacey Holcomb introduced Wodach to Tigers hoops parents and players during a meet-n-greet last night.
Wodach comes to the Boro after a one-year stint as the assistant girls coach at Sterlington High School but has plenty of experience on the boys side, serving as the head coach at both Sunray (Texas) High School (2019-21) and Tioga (Texas) High School (2021-22).
“Adam has the experience and the knowledge of the game and that is what drew me to him,” said Holcomb. “He came in with such a positive attitude and so motivated and ready to hit the ground running. I felt he could bring some positive things to the program.”
During his two years at Sunray High School, he led the program to its best finish in 15 years at a primarily dominant football school, including a trip to the playoffs his second season. While at Tioga High School, he doubled the win total in both district play and overall from the previous season leading the team to the playoffs.
Wodach — whose sister Lea Wodach is the associate head softball coach at ULM –said there was plenty to like about the Simsboro job.
“I think it has a lot of things that I’m looking for in my next stop,” said Wodach. “I have bounced around a little bit. But I am looking for a place to call home for a while. I am a basketball guy. And for the first time in my basketball (coaching) career, I won’t have to coach football. I love basketball. And everyone told me that Simsboro is a basketball community. And that excites me.”
Wodach played at Tesoro (California) High School for four years before serving as a member of the coaching staff as an assistant on the varsity from 2012-2018.
The following year he served as a graduate assistant at Cal-State Northridge on a staff that included Mark Gottfried, Jim Harrick and Mo Williams. Gottfried is a veteran collegiate coach who served as head coach at Murray State, Alabama, North Carolina State and Cal-State Northridge. Harrick is a 48-year veteran of college coaching and led UCLA to the NCAA national title in 1994-95. Williams was a 13-year NBA player who was part of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship team.
“I was blessed,” said Wodach. “I thought I knew basketball until I was a grad assistant that year and then I realized I didn’t know as much as I thought.”
Wodach earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal-State Fullerton and his master’s degree from Arkansas State.
“Mrs. Holcomb was phenomenal in the interview process,” said Wodach. “We both asked each other some really hard questions to make sure it was going to be a good fit. I’m not from the area, but I understand Simsboro is a coveted basketball job.”
Wodach said he planned to see the Tigers players on the court today.
“I am going to let them play for about 30 to 45 minutes, and then do a little coaching,” said Wodach.
