Corona selects assistant MacDonald to replace Duane
Tempe Corona del Sol didn’t look far to find Sam Duane Jr.’s successor.
Realizing the importance of continuity after capturing four consecutive Division I boys basketball titles, Corona del Sol will hire from within, recommending two-year varsity assistant Neil MacDonald to take over the dynasty.
MacDonald is being recommended to the Tempe Union High School District governing board to be its next coach.
“Principal (Brent) Brown and I feel Neil will do a fine job,” Athletic Director Dan Nero said. “Huge shoes to fill obviously, but we think he is a great fit for our program. Like Neil said, ‘Time to get to work.’ ”
Corona del Sol returns its two biggest pieces, sophomore point guard Alex Barcello and 6-foot-11 freshman forward Marvin Bagley III, from a 33-1team that ended up ranked among the top 10 in the nation in MaxPreps’ final Xcellent 25.
Corona del Sol went 128-7 during its four-year reign of championships.
Corona del Sol also returns starting combo guard Tyrell Henderson, who recently committed to Portland State.
“I already coached Alex for two years and Marvin for one,” MacDonald said. “It’s something I look forward to. When you think about when you walk into a program as a new head coach for a reason like this, it’s usually a coach who leaves for the opposite reason. ... What a tremendous opportunity.”
MacDonald, who worked with Duane before at Gilbert Mesquite, said he didn’t feel he was being groomed for this when he came over two years ago. He said he was as surprised as anybody that Duane stepped down.
“I’ve known Sammy for a long time,” MacDonald said. “I knew he was tired. We were all tired. But I was surprised when he pulled the trigger.”
Input from student-athletes and parents was used during the hiring process.
MacDonald was a graduate assistant at Arizona State and a former head coach at Gilbert Campo Verde
See CORONA, Page 10C