Chad Applin, who has led the Faith Academy Rams basketball program for the last seven years, is leaving Faith to take over the same position at Spanish Fort, it was announced last week. Applin has a history of success over at Faith Academy, leading the Rams to multiple 20-win seasons and a state championship appearance in 2017.
The move to hire Applin comes in the wake of now former Toros head coach Jimbo Tolbert taking the job over at Gulf Shores. Tolbert had a successful run at Spanish Fort as well, and now Applin will try to build on it.
When speaking to AL.com, Spanish Fort athletic director (also the head football coach) Chase Smith praised the experience of Applin and how it was a huge factor in the search:
“When you look at his resume, it’s very impressive. He has a state championship, a lot of postseason play experience. Then, when you get face-to-face with him, it’s just the right fit. A lot of the values he talked about were the values that are important to me and our school and athletic program as well,” Smith said.
The shuffling of coaches will be just one of many storylines to monitor as the offseason continues in Gulf Coast high school hoops.
