Princeton names new girls coach

By Rob Craig
Published in Sports on June 1, 2007 1:49 PM

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PRINCETON -- Sitting on the sidelines at N.C. State, David Anderson got the chance to learn from two different ACC coaches.

Now, he has his own "pack" to coach.

On Thursday, Anderson was named as the new girls' basketball coach at Princeton High. He replaces long-time coach Ricky Boyette who has decided to step down.

"It's been a goal of mine to be a head girls' basketball coach and it's finally that time," said Anderson. "It's a dream come true. It's been hard to keep my mouth shut about the decision."

Anderson takes the reins from Boyette who has coached the girls' program at Princeton for nearly 30 years and recorded over 300 wins.

Anderson arrived at Princeton last year and served as an assistant under Boyette.

"I was very privileged to come here and learn from him for a year," said Anderson. "Coming here was a great choice to learn under coach Boyette who taught me a tremendous amount."

The decision to hire Anderson was partly based on his already strong relationship with the girls and his knowledge of the program.

"With David being here on staff under coach Boyette, the transition will be smooth as compared to bringing in someone from the outside," said Princeton athletic director Al Musgrave. "I think we're very lucky to have someone like David Anderson on our staff. I do not think we're going to miss a beat with him taking the job."

Anderson -- a 1992 graduate of North Johnston where he played baseball, basketball and football -- has previous head coaching experience with the Garner Flames in AAU and for Wilson Hunt's junior varsity girls.

In addition to this past season at Princeton, Anderson has spent time as an assistant for Hunt, Garner and the North Johnston varsity boys.

Anderson also gained valuable experience on the sidelines in Raleigh.

A 1997 graduate of N.C. State, Anderson spent four years working for the basketball program where he watched two different personalities coach -- the easy going Les Robinson and the cool disciplinarian Herb Sendek.

"I learned there was fine line between discipline and having fun," said Anderson. "The girls will learn discipline through having fun and will hopefully take their game to the next level."

Normally emotional on the bench, especially after some calls by referees, Anderson will look to take what he learned from Sendek to better control himself.

"Sendek was very controlled, even when something bad was going on," said Anderson. "It's going to be a maturing process for me, but I'm ready."

Anderson already has big visions for the program at Princeton.

"We're going to try to make basketball a 'standout' sport here at Princeton," said Anderson. "I want our games to be fun and exciting, but I want our practices to be 100 percent effort."

With the enthusiasm and knowledge Anderson possess, it's hard to envision him failing at his last goal.

"David has a real passion for basketball and working with those girls," said Princeton principal Kirk Denning. "I saw that this year and think that will carry over to next year. The girls think the world of him and he thinks the world of those girls.

"I think good things are ahead."