High school basketball: Gainesville ushers in Charlemagne Gibbons as new boys coach
Mar. 14—Gainesville was eager to bring in a new boys basketball coach with a winning pedigree.
It found one in Charlemagne Gibbons.
On Tuesday, the Red Elephants made the hire, pending school board approval, of the former Newton and Morgan County coach to fill the position most recently held by Chuck Graham, who was relieved of his coaching duties after the 2023 season.
Gibbons became a statewide name when he guided Morgan County to the Class 3A state championship in 2014, a program led by Mr. Georgia Basketball winner Tookie Brown.
However, Gibbons has continued to win with every new challenge.
Most recently, Gibbons coached at Class 7A Newton, in Covington, guiding its program to the state semifinals in 2020, along with two trips to the state quarterfinals between 2019-2023.
In addition to making the Final Four, Gibbons was tabbed Region 4-7A Coach of the Year in 2020.
"I'm super excited to be joining the Gainesville family," said Gibbons. "The vision that Dr. Williams, Mr. Green, and athletic director Adam Lindsey have for the program is outstanding. They have a true vision for Gainesville athletics to become one of the top programs in the state. I look forward to the challenge and feel my experience and past success will be a great complement to the already-outstanding things that are taking place in Red Elephant Nation."
Prior to coaching at Newton the past four seasons, Gibbons had stops at Starr's Mill and Florida Atlantic University.
Gibbons' longest stop in his career came at Morgan County where he produced winners with the boys program (2006-14) and the girls squad (2010-2013).
With the Bulldogs boys, Gibbons was twice tabbed Region Coach of the Year (2012 and 2013), while adding statewide honors as Coach of the Year in 2014 by the AJC, Georgia Sportswriters Association and Georgia Athletic Coaches Association. During that eight-year span, Morgan County produced eight All-State selections, in addition to 11 players who earned All-Region honors.
Coaching the Morgan County girls, Gibbons' teams twice went to the state quarterfinals. During that four-year span, his program produced five All-Region selections and four players who earned All-State accolades.
"We couldn't be more excited to have (Charlemagne) Gibbons join us," Gainesville athletics director Adam Lindsey said. "What his teams have accomplished in each of his coaching stops speaks to the coach he is, but when you look at how he's been able to cultivate individual talent; that doesn't happen unless you can build relationships and that's when you start to realize what a special human exists in that resume, too."
