Photo Courtesy: Tod Morgan

CHAPEL HILL – Tod Morgan, Chapel Hill High School’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Athletic Director, announced Tuesday that he is stepping down to accept a similar position at C.B. Aycock High School in Pikeville. In his five years at Chapel Hill High, Morgan has accomplished more than some coaches achieve during their entire careers.

“It is certainly bittersweet, and I’ve had a great run here in Chapel Hill. I love Chapel Hill; the Chapel Hill community has been great to my family and I. Chapel Hill High School, I think is the best high school in the state, both athletically and academically,” Morgan said to WCHL’s Aaron Keck Wednesday on the Morning News.

The Morehead City native explained that he and his wife Courtney, along with their daughter and son, wished to be closer to family in the eastern part of the state.

In 2008, Morgan came on as the men’s head basketball coach, posting an 8-14 season. Within two years, he led the program to a 20-win season and has stayed at that level since. Chapel Hill High won the Carolina Six 3-A Conference championships in each of the past three seasons.

Tod Morgan

CHHS Recognizes Morgan With Award

“We developed our program into a year-around program where we did a lot of things in the fall and spring, off-season workouts and also played a lot of games as a team in the summer. I think we just built a system I think that works really well, and these kids bought into it and with their hard work, then you have a chance to be very successful,” Morgan said.

Morgan was also named Carolina Six 3-A Conference and NCBCA District 6 Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year the past three seasons. After one year coaching the Tiger’s men’s basketball team, he also took on the position of athletic director.

Morgan coached many stand-out players, including 2012 NCBCA 3-A Basketball Player of the Year Denzel Ingram, now at UNC-Charlotte; East-West All-Star Anthony Vanhook; and James Manor and Denzel Robinson, who now wear Carolina Blue for Roy Williams.

Morgan said he is particularly proud of what his athletes, in all sports at Chapel Hill High, have accomplished off the court as well. The majority of his basketball players were named to the Academic All-Conference Team for maintaining a 3.0 or higher GPA during the season.  He said the “Weighted Team GPA” has been near the top in the state each year.

“I think that combination is hard to find and where teams will have that great success and that type of success in the classroom [as well as in athletics], but for us, it was really what we were looking for. Those were the types of young men that we wanted in our program,” Morgan said.

When asked what his favorite memory was, he recalled one from several years ago when his team made a run in to the regional finals.

“There was a play in a game versus North Forsyth in the sectional finals. Aidan Kelley dives for a loose ball and flips it back in bounds, and Kyle Grant runs down and scores the layup,” he said. “And that was just an effort play. It wasn’t the best dunk; it wasn’t the best spectacular play; it wouldn’t have been on the ESPN highlight reel; but it just epitomized Aidan Kelley and the type of work ethic and determination that our young people have.”

Looking forward, Morgan hopes to mirror the success he’s had with the Tiger’s as he transitions to head coach at C.B. Aycock.

“We’ll need to do a little bit of work there to get it turned around, but I think we have some good kids, and I think with some hard work, we can get it back at a higher level.”

Morgan said no decisions have been made regarding naming a replacement(s) for either the Athletic Director or Head Men’s Basketball Coach positions.  He said school leaders are meeting later this week to discuss a transition plan.

 

To hear Morgan’s full interview on the WCHL Morning News, you can listen below: