Hays hired Danny Preuss (right) away from Lehman to take over its girls basketball program from recently retired Donny McDonald (left). (Photo by Jason Gordon)

By JASON GORDON

Hays High School didn’t have to go on a very long journey to find its new girls head basketball coach.

Danny Preuss, who coached at Hays as an assistant under recently retired Donny McDonald for 14 years before taking over as head coach at Lehman High, has accepted the job to guide the Lady Rebels.

“I’m proud of what I accomplished at Lehman, but Hays is my home,” Preuss said. “I was ecstatic when I was offered the job.”

Preuss, who led Lehman to a playoff berth during the 2008-09 season, beat out 50 other candidates. Hays narrowed its search down to five coaches during an interview process before offering the job to Preuss.

“Danny has been with our program before and he knows what it’s about,” Hays athletic director Bob Shelton said. “We know he’ll do a good job. We had a lot of people apply for the job, but we’re real happy with our choice.”

McDonald led Hays to 399 wins and two state tournament berths, in 2001 and 2009, during 16 years at the helm of the Lady Rebel program.

A strong girls basketball tradition dates back as long as the school has been in existence, as the Lady Rebs won the district title in 1969, a year after the campus opened.

Since then, the program has seen nothing but success, as the Lady Rebels also qualified for the state tournament in both 1976 and 1980 and have routinely made deep playoff runs throughout most of the past four decades.

“It’s a program that’s been very successful from the beginning,” Shelton said. “It started strong and has stayed that way. It’s a real bonus to be able to hire someone like Danny who understands that tradition.”

Preuss was an assistant coach on the Lady Rebel team that knocked off Corpus Christi Carroll in triple overtime in the Class 5A Region IV final in 2001 to advance to the state tournament.

“I loved being around all the tradition of the program as an assistant, and it will be even sweeter as a head coach,” Preuss said. “It will be a challenge, but it’s one I’m really looking forward to. I talked to the girls we have coming back next season at Hays, and they know they’ll be expected to work hard so we can maintain the level of success we’re used to.”

Jaleasa Jones, a returning varsity forward who will be a senior at Hays next season, said she expects the transition from McDonald to Preuss to be a smooth one.

“Coach Preuss came in and talked to us and we all think he’s cool,” Jones said. “We were a little bit worried when Coach McDonald retired, but we feel real good about the fact they hired Coach Preuss since he’s coached at Hays before and everyone here knows him.”

McDonald and his former assistant have remained close friends on and off the court despite the fact they squared off against each other the last four seasons in district play.

“I think it is great that Danny got the job,” McDonald said. “He really knows his stuff and will fit right in. Hays had a great tradition before I got there and now I’m confident it will continue.”

Helen Breyfogle, who played for both Coach McDonald and Coach Preuss on Hays’ 2001 state tournament team, said the Lady Rebs couldn’t have found a better replacement.

“I was so excited for him,” Breyfogle said. “I think Coach Preuss will do a great job. I don’t think the girls will have to change much because their coaching styles are so similar. I think he will fill Coach Mac’s shoes very well.”

Preuss said he plans on continuing the style of defense-first play that he used at Lehman and McDonald used at Hays.

“I’m a defensive coach,” Preuss said. “I believe defense creates offense. Hays’ great tradition of playing sound basketball starting on the defensive end will continue.”

Lehman athletic director Steve Davis said he’s proud of the job Preuss did building a solid foundation for the Lady Lobo program.

“I hated to see him go, but I understand in the coaching business you have to do what you feel is right for you and your family,” Davis said. “He did a great job with our basketball program here and I’m sure he’ll do a great job at Hays.”

Davis said the search for a new girls head basketball coach at Lehman has begun and he hopes to hire Preuss’ replacement in the near future.