Coaching turnover for Granite Hills hoops

Richard Johannsen and DeVallon Knox will no longer be coaching the Granite Hills varsity basketball programs.
Johannsen, the former boys coach, said the school’s principal told him of the decision to let him go after the playoffs earlier this year.

“I don’t know what I can say personally and I don’t know what I should say,” Johannsen said. “I wanted to be back.”

Johannsen said a few things such as budget cuts and the Cougars’ record in his first and only year as the head coach probably affected the decision.

Granite Hills athletic director Carolyn Ruhm said it’s a personnel matter and she cannot comment on Johannsen’s departure.

The Granite Hills boys finished third in the Desert Sky League and made the second round of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs this past season with a record of 13-15 (4-4 DSL).

“If I had won more games, we wouldn’t have had this issue,” Johannsen said.

Erik Crull will take over the boys team, and the school is still searching for a new girls coach.

Ruhm said Knox was released because of philosophical differences.

“The principal and Carolyn told me that they want to go in a new direction,” Knox said. “Even though we had an off year last year, I though we were going in the right direction.”

Knox led the Granite Hills girls to their first playoff appearance in the 2007-08 season, when he took over as the head coach. The Cougars went 6-16 (1-7 DSL) this past season. Knox also coached the track and field program from 2002 to 2008.

“I really appreciate the opportunity that the school gave me, just being a part of the track team,” Knox said. “And I’m very proud of the way those kids played on that ’08 team.”

Knox said he had received an offer from Rialto High School to be an assistant basketball coach.