FOOTBALL STAFF

 

 

 

       James W. Gilbert

E-mail me:      jgilbert@henry.k12.va.us

 

Head Varsity Football Coach

Quarterbacks & Inside Linebackers Coach

 

Coach Gilbert, a 1983 graduate of Fieldale-Collinsville High School, played football, basketball, and baseball.  He received the Dr. Camden Memorial Award for athletic and academic achievement in 1982-1983.  He graduated from Guilford College in 1987, receiving his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting while playing baseball.  He presently teaches Mathematics at Bassett High School and has 19 years of coaching experience in football.  He is in his 4th year as the Head Football Coach at Bassett.  His other coaching experiences include 11 years in basketball, 8 as head coach at the community college level, 13 years in baseball with 4 as a head coach.  He is married to Wendy and has two children, Cierra Nicole and Jacob William.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Brian Hill

Email me:       bhill@henry.k12.va.us

 

Offensive Coordinator

Receivers & Defensive Backs Coach

 

Brian Hill graduated from Laurel Park High School in 1985 where he played football and was All-District & All-Region Defensive Back for two years.  He attended Lee University and graduated in 1990 with a degree in Health and Physical Education.  He has been a teacher and coach in Henry County since 1990, 9 years at Laurel Park, 5 years at Fieldale-Collinsville, and returns to the Bassett staff for his third year.  He will be coaching Receivers and Defensive Backs.  Teaching duties include Health and Physical Education 10/ Driver’s Education and Physical Training.  Coach Hill and his wife, Kim, have two children, Tristan – 10 and Taylor – 8.

 

 

 

 

 

     Bill Parks

Email me:       wparks@henry.k12.va.us

 

Defensive Coordinator

Offensive & Defensive Line Coach

 

Coach Parks is a 1984 graduate of Fieldale-Collinsville High School where he played football, basketball, and baseball.  He is a 1989 graduate of Radford University where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management while playing baseball.  He is an Alternative Education teacher at the Center for Community Learning (CCL).  Coach Parks was an assistant football coach at Laurel Park for 4 years where he was the J.V. head coach for 2 years and spent 2 years as the defensive coordinator and special team coach.  He also has 12 years experience coaching baseball with 9 as a head coach (6 at Bassett), 8 years as a varsity assistant and head J.V. basketball coach, and 5 years as an assistant softball coach.  Coach Parks will also be the Head Baseball Coach for the Bengals this spring.  He and his wife, Rachel, have one child, Kailynn Michelle – 7.

 

 

 

 

Jay Joyce

Email me:     Forthcoming

 

Special Teams Coordinator

Running Backs & Defensive Backs Coach

 

Jay Joyce is a 1982 graduate of Fieldale-Collinsville High School where he played Football, Basketball, and Baseball.  He enlisted the Unites States Army and upon completion of his time in the military, attended Ferrum College where he played football.  Jay has several years of experience coaching football, basketball, and baseball.  He has held head coaching positions in basketball at the community college level and in baseball at the high school level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russell Wilder

Email me:  rwilder@henry.k12.va.us

 

Assistant Coach for Junior Varsity and Varsity

Offensive Line & Outside Linebackers Coach

 

 

After twenty-five years in the army CSM Wilder is entering his fourth year at Bassett and first year with the Bengal Football Program.  He is originally from Melbourne, Florida where he played football and wrestled in high school.  He graduated from the University of Colorado in 2005 with a degree in Social Sciences and now teaches JROTC at Bassett High School.  Coach Wilder lives in Fieldale and is married to Monica Wilder.  He also has seven children and seven grandchildren.

 

 

       Thomas Bruce

Email me:  brucegang@comcast.net

 

Assistant Varsity Coach

Running Backs and Linebackers Coach

 

Tommy Bruce finished high school at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia in 1985.  He played football and wrestled.  After school, he enlisted in the United States Armed Forces where he served for 3 ˝ years.  He now lives in Bassett with his wife, Donna and two daughters, Adrienne – 20 and Kaitlin – 17.

 

 

Tim Gary

Email me:  Forthcoming

 

Assistant Varsity Coach

Offensive and Defensive Line Coach

 

Bio is forthcoming

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteer Assistants

 

 

       Hugh Tucker

 

 

Hugh Tucker is a graduate of William Byrd High School and received his B.S. Degree from Carson Newman College.  He lettered in football at both schools.  Hugh has coached football for 30 years with 29 of those years at either Bassett or Fieldale-Collinsville High Schools.  He has two sons, Paul and Clif.

 

 

 

 

           

David Deel

 

David Deel is married to Mary Louise (a college classmate).  They have two children, Geneva and Andy.  They have two grandchildren who live in Utah.  Coach Deel graduated from Grundy High School and has a B.S. in math from Emory and Henry, a MA in Physics from the University of Northern Iowa.  Coach Deel coached outdoor track 16 years, boys indoor track for 25 years, girls indoor track 9 years, and football for 43 years.  In track, boys and girls combined, he coached 14 district championship teams and 3 regional championship teams.  He coached athletes who won 15 individual state titles.  He has been retired from teaching several years, but has remained active in coaching.  He now officiates track and field at the high school and college level.  In his spare time, he fishes, gardens, plays the banjo, and golfs with a ?.

 

 

 

            Joe Haynes

 

Joe is a 1997 graduate of Bassett High School.  During his four years there, he played football and baseball.  He works full time as a Firefighter/EMT for the City of Martinsville.  Coach Haynes has been married to his lovely wife April for nine years and they have one son, Luke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Eric Brown

 

Eric is a 1976 graduate of Drewry Mason High School.  While there, he participated in football, wrestling, and baseball.  He is a single dad with a beautiful 13 year old daughter named Chelsea.  Chelsea will be attending Bassett High School in the 2008 – 2009 school year.  He is the director of operations for Red Birch of Martinsville, which includes the 3 local Bojangles, the 2 Red Birch Convenience Stores, as well as the Back Yard Burger in Danville.  He wishes to thank Coach Gilbert and the administration of Bassett High School for the opportunity to volunteer with the team.