Reay takes over Hirschi girls basketball program
Chris Reay has called Wichita Falls home for most of his adult life.
So, when the opportunity to continue coaching basketball in this city arose, he took it.
Reay was confirmed as the new head girls basketball coach at Hirschi last week, providing a soft landing spot after resigning as Midwestern State’s head women’s basketball coach last month.
“My family loves Wichita Falls,” said Reay, who has two daughters, Allison and Katelyn Anne, with his wife, former MSU women’s basketball standout, Angie Faurot. “Wichita Falls has been great to me and my wife. This is a great opportunity to get me coaching in the high school realm and teaching.”
Reay spent 13 years with the MSU women’s basketball program, including 10 as an assistant coach under Noel Johnson. He became interim head coach for the final 10 games of the 2019-20 season when Johnson took a leave of absence to fight ovarian cancer. Johnson passed away in June 2020, and Reay was handed the keys to the program.
He spent three years as the Mustangs’ head coach, finishing with a 35-48 overall record, including a 6-22 mark last season. However, he led the Mustangs to two LSC Tournament appearances in his first two seasons.
When Reay resigned from MSU, WFISD athletic director Scot Hafley pursued the veteran coach to take over the Hirschi program.
“I reached out to Coach Reay because it isn’t very often we have the opportunity to hire an experienced college coach who is still certified to teach in Texas,” Hafley said. “Chris’s reputation as a coach and mentor is impeccable, and for our female athletes, it’s an opportunity to learn the game of basketball from one of the best.
“Coach Reay also impressed me with his strong belief in kids playing multiple sports.”
Reay admits the challenges of coaching high school are different from what he faced at MSU.
“It’s different. The college game is obviously faster, but everything I’ve seen at the college level makes me think there’s not anything I will not have seen,” Reay said. “Development will take longer, and we will have to devote more time to the fundamentals. I’m really excited to mold these girls to the game of basketball.”
Reay replaces Sarah Peterson as the Lady Huskies’ head coach. They went 4-23 and made a first-round playoff exit in her lone year at the helm of the program. Peterson, who is Hirschi’s head volleyball coach, was only meant to fill the position for a season after Krataura Buckner left last spring for the same position at Garland Naaman Forest.
Reay took the job despite the program having just one more season of existence. Hirschi, along with Rider, will transition into a junior high when two new high schools, Legacy and Memorial, open for the 2024-25 school year.
Reay intends to pursue a head coaching position at one of the two high schools.
“I love Wichita Falls, and my family wants to stay here,” Reay said. “I hope to be given a chance to be in consideration for one of the jobs at the new schools.”
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Chris Reay makes coaching transition from Midwestern State to Hirschi
