One of the good guys in high school basketball in West Virginia is ready to hang up his whistle. Bridgeport High coach Gene Randolph will retire at the end of the season. He’s been the Indians head coach for 20 years.
Randolph’s team is now in the Class AA final four after an upset win over Westside Thursday.
He reflected back on his career during an interview with MetroNews Thursday afternoon.
“When I first started, I thought, “if I can get seven or eight I’d be great,'” he remembered. “But the Bridgeport community is kind of a stable community and we just kind of go year to year, and I just can’t believe it’s gone by this fast.”
Randolph’s teams have been successful. The year before he became coach, the Indians had won the Class AA state championship, and Randolph had them back in the title game in his first season.
The affable coach said he’s glad his team is still alive this season because they have at least one more game, maybe two, to get better. He says he’s always been in search for the “perfect game.” He says he saw one years ago when Fairmont State beat Glenville 52-50 in an NAIA playoff game.
“That game has kind of stuck in the back of my recesses and I’ve always tried to be ever-seeking that perfect game. Where you want to play your best. I know it’s elusive for you,” he said. “I know we watch today’s game and it’s up and down, up and down but I’ve never been a proponent of that. I always like to be in control of the game.”
But it’s been more than just wins and losses at Bridgeport for Randolph. MetroNews play-by-play announcer Travis Jones has called Bridgeport games since Randolph took over.
“I’ve never met a person who’s had an ill word about Gene. He’s just been a great ambassador for high school basketball,” Jones said. “Gene has sacrificed a lot for the advancement of basketball not only for Bridgeport but the whole state.”
Jones said Randolph has been likeable and fair and his former players love him for it. Randolph said life has its ups and downs and it’s much better to approach life on an even keel.
“You can’t get too high. You can’t get too low. You just got to stay plugging away there. Keep working, keep grinding. I hope their approach to life is very close to that,” he said.
Randolph got his coaching start at Flemington High School. He also served stints at Clarksburg Roosevelt-Wilson and South Harrison. He was a longtime teacher at Bridgeport but has more recently has taught physical education at Robert C. Byrd.
Randolph says the coach who had the most influence on him was Al Morgan, the head coach at Greenbrier Military Academy, where Randolph played in 1964.
“I always said I wanted to be like Coach Al,” he said.
Now that he’s ready to retire there are probably many of his Bridgeport players who say, ‘I want to be like Coach Gene,’ Travis Jones wouldn’t be surprised.
“He’s more than a nice guy. Gene has been fair and consistent in the way that he treats not only his players, but officials and everybody involved in the game,” Jones said.
Bridgeport will take on Fairmont Senior at 11:15 p.m. Friday in the Class AA semifinals.