Swainsboro High School basketball coach Brice Hobbs has completed another successful season. Coach Hobbs and his team started out slow this season but finished up strong to make it to the final four of the state tournament. The slow start could be attributed to several starters joining the team late due to playing football. Some of the football players also missed time while making college visits.
Coach Hobbs graduated from Metter High School. After high school, he attended Brewton Parker College. While there, he says he learned a lot about coaching under the tutelage of Brewton Parker Coach Steve Barker. Hobbs first came to Swainsboro in 2001. He began his career as an assistant football, basketball, and track coach. Coach Hobbs worked as an assistant defensive coach with Coach Bobby Andrews, and the two formed a bond on and off the football field. Coach Hobbs was also an assistant basketball coach under Coach Leroy Jordan and an assistant track coach under Coach Dwayne Davis. Coach Hobbs credits each of these men with being instrumental in his development and philosophy as a coach. He emphasized that his success as a coach is due to the mentoring he received from Bobby Andrews, Leroy Jordan, and Dewayne Davis. He also credits Denise Warnock with supporting him while she was Principal at SHS.
In 2004, Coach Hobbs took over as the head track coach at SHS. He admits he wasn’t sure he was ready to take over the responsibility but could always ask Dewayne Davis for advice. Hobbs says it took a little time for the guys to buy into his style. During the 2005 season, he could see things coming together. During that season, they came close to winning the region title. He pushed the team harder, and they responded by winning the state championship in 2007. The following year they came within 1 point of repeating as state champions.
In 2013, Coach Hobbs left Swainsboro to become the head basketball Coach of Jenkins County High. He and Coach Andrews stayed in contact, and Andrews always welcomed him back to Swainsboro. Unfortunately, in the spring of 2016, he received a devastating phone call telling him Coach Andrews had passed. The news was devastating to him personally and professionally. It was also shocking for SHS and the Swainsboro community. Coach Hobbs returned home to become the head coach for the Tigers in 2016. The team dedicated the 2016 season to Coach Andrews. The season concluded with a trip to the state championship game. The Tigers lost the championship game and finished the season as state runner-up.
As the head coach, his team has not had a losing season in seven years. In 2020 he won the Class AA state championship. The team won 30 games and lost only two. The 2021 team won 18 games and made it to the elite 8. They lost only two games in 2021. The 2022 team made it to the final 4 of the Class A state tournament. Coach Hobbs has a seven-year head coach record of 129 wins and 53 losses. That record includes a state championship, a runner-up, and a final-four appearance.
Coach Hobbs quickly deflects any credit for the success of his teams. It is admirable that he credits others, but he should receive his proper recognition at some point. In 2020 he was named the state Class AA Coach of the year.
Swainsboro High has a long history of outstanding, legendary coaches. Coach Hobbs is the only coach to win a state championship in two different sports. This is a historic accomplishment. It is a testament to the players, assistant coaches, and support staff. Most of all, it is a direct result of the outstanding coaching and leadership by Coach Hobbs.
Great Job, Coach Hobbs!
