Farriell steps in to continue Red Oak boys hoops tradition

After joining the Red Oak staff as an a teacher and assistant coach earlier in the summer, Darrick Farriell jumped in to serve as the Eagles’ head basketball coach after Dan Caldwell resigned on July 14.

“I didn’t expect it,” said Farriell, who spent the last three years coaching at Quinton.

Farriell, who had been assisting with girls basketball this summer, said he hadn’t spent time around the basketball boys since he arrived at the school.

“This is the first time I haven’t been working with the boys in the summer,” he said.

Farriell saw Red Oak in action last season, including a 51-42 defeat of Quinton by the Eagles in the regular-season finale, and noticed that they were pretty young and small.

Red Oak went 19-10, bowing out in the first round of the area playoffs. The Eagles made the Class B state tournament in 2021.

“The first goal is to continue the tradition and continue the state tournament program. Coach Caldwell did a great job,” Farriell said.

Key returning players include senior Denver Hamilton and sophomore Asher Kauk.

Farriell had Quinton’s boys basketball team in the Class A state tournament in 2020.

Farriell has remained close to his Kinta home after other recent coaching stints in McCurtain and Porum.

His other coaching stops include Talihina, Roff, Stuart and Bethel.

“At Roff, it was really similar to Red Oak. They have strong baseball and basketball,” he said.

Red Oak has three boys basketball state championships (2009, 2016 and 2018).

Farriell will also coach cross-country and track, as he did at Quinton, Roff and Bethel. He will assist Casey Butcher, with whom he worked at McCurtain, in girls basketball.