The Lady Bulldog Basketball team breezed by the Grand Saline Indians to a 56-27 victory last Tuesday over the Thanksgiving holidays. This win was a little different, though—it was special. This win marked the 100th career win for Coach Blake Hamrick.
Coach Hamrick, a 2011 graduate of QHS, began his coaching career coaching boys for both a homeschool organization in College Station and then in Alba-Golden. Hamrick’s first season as a girl’s coach and head coach was the 2016-2017 season at Alba-Golden. Hamrick would coach at Alba-Golden the next three seasons, earning 76 of his wins there.
Coach Hamrick came back to coach at his alma-mater at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. Hamrick thought he may have hit 100 wins a little sooner, but Covid cancelled a lot of games/tournaments last year. However, the Lady Bulldogs made the most of last year, experiencing success for the first time in almost 10 years when they competed in post-season play.
Hamrick has worked hard to instill pride in the girls’ basketball program. “For the girls to play a sport they love and be proud of it is a big deal,” Hamrick stated. “If you’re proud of something, you cherish it.” For Hamrick, it’s not just about the Win/Loss record. Hamrick said that he prefers to challenge the girls not to look at that W/L record, but to look at each drill, each practice, and each day first. Hamrick said that “If we do the daily stuff, our long-term goals will fall into place.”
Hamrick is optimistic about the future of the Lady Bulldogs basketball program. This year’s team is composed of a unique combination of two girls from each grade level. Hamrick is looking forward to seeing the improvement the girls will make as the players mature individually and as a team throughout the season.
“It feels good” Hamrick said about his 100th win. “I’m excited for the future and for these girls,” Hamrick continued. You can catch the Lady Bulldogs tomorrow night, 11/30, at home at Delbert Ballard Gymnasium when they take on Grace Community. The JV plays first at 5 p.m. with the varsity playing immediately afterward. Be sure to come cheer these ladies and Coach Hamrick on to another victory!