Legendary SISD Coach Reassigned
Longtime Schulenburg head boys basketball coach Richard Hoogendoorn said he was blindsided two weeks ago, when he was informed that he was being reassigned and would no longer coach boys basketball for the Shorthorns.
Hoogendoorn is one of the winningest active coaches in the state and in fact the entire nation.
Maxpreps.com lists him as the 24th winningest active coach in the USA with a 860553 overall record but that actually slights him a bit.
His overall record is 874 wins and 554 losses.
In 25 seasons at Schulenburg he compiled a record of 500-292 (he won his 500th game of his career at Schulenburg in the season finale this year when he went 14-14). His Shorthorn teams have made the playoffs 19 times and twice gone to the state semifinals, including as recently as 2021.
Prior to coming to Schulenburg he had a successful career coaching in Fayetteville.
Hoogendoorn said he wasn’t given any reasons for the move and since has been hoping the school would reconsider before next Monday’s school board meeting, where he has been told by some that they plan to speak on his behalf to the school board.
“I hope it resolves itself before then,” Hoogendoorn said.
Hoogendoorn said he’s been flooded by letters and messages from former players and those he coached against.
His reassignment comes at a time of a lot of other upheaval at SISD.
A new superintendent and athletic directors have started at SISD in the past few weeks, and the school board is coming off a hotly contested race for a pair of spots.
When asked for comment about Hoogendoorn’s reassignment, new Schulenburg superintendent Lee Hafley said, “Schulenburg ISD assigns and reassigns personnel in accordance with Texas law. Any public comment on these issues must respect the privacy afforded to educators and students. But I can state that these decisions are made in the best interest of the school district. Schulenburg ISD sincerely appreciates the community’s commitment to the school and its mission to empower all students for success.”