Photo by Regina Devinney
When incoming James River athletic director Ryan Firebaugh needed to replace himself as girls basketball coach, he didn’t have to look far. The new Knights’ head coach was sitting on the same bench for the past three seasons.
Donald Eggleston was named the new girls coach at James River last week, replacing Firebaugh who stepped down as coach when he was named AD. Ryan will officially take over the athletic department reins from Chase Davidson on July 1, and he feels the girls basketball program will remain in good hands.
“I think Donald will do a fantastic job with this program,” said Firebaugh. “We thought alike on many occasions when we coached together. Certain scenarios would come about during the games and it was almost like we were thinking the same thing. For example, let’s keep this possession before we have a tie up and the possession arrow was against us, let’s get a quick time out to keep possession. I truly believe Coach E is the right man for this job.”
Eggleston has paid his dues for this opportunity. A 1989 graduate of Cave Spring High School, Donald didn’t play sports for those Knights. After graduation he attended Radford University and graduated in 1994 with a degree in Health and Physical Education. He earned his Master’s at West Virginia University in Athletic Coaching in 2009.
While at Radford he met the late Brenda King, a legendary girls basketball coach who had stints at Pulaski County, Radford High and Hidden Valley before succumbing to cancer at the age of 46. Donald joined Brenda’s staff at Radford in 1991 and coached there through the 1994 season.
“The basketball coach who has had the biggest impact on me was Brenda King when coaching at Radford High School,” Eggleston said. “She was the person who inspired my love of coaching basketball.”
In 1996 Eggleston took a position in Botetourt County coaching and teaching at Read Mountain Middle School. He was a big part of the Stars’ program, serving at head coach of the girls basketball team from 1996 to 2007, head coach of the boys team from ’96 to ’03 and also serving as boys soccer coach from ’96 to ’03.
In 2008 he moved up to the high school as head coach of the Cavalier boys jayvee team during the 2007-08 season. After one season he had the opportunity to coach on the varsity level when Craig County hired him as head varsity girls basketball coach. He held that position from 2009 to 2013, and during that time he coached Grace Faw, one of Craig’s all-time best players and daughter of current Craig County High School Athletic Director Carrie Hutton.
“We just loved Donald,” said Hutton. “Grace really enjoyed playing for him and we hated to see him leave. I know he’ll do a great job at James River.”
Eggleston got back into coaching in 2021 when Firebaugh took the girls head coaching job at James River. The team was coming off a winless season of seven games due to the Covid pandemic. The previous year they were 4-17, so there was nowhere to go but up.
“I got to know Donald through my father and brother,” said Firebaugh. “He referees football with their crew on Friday nights. When I first was hired, I was looking for assistants and I wanted to surround myself with people who knew the game as well as people who were great with kids. My father told me about Donald, that he was the head varsity girls coach basketball at Craig County and he also coached some at Read Mountain and at LB. We had a couple of phone calls and we interviewed him and I felt like he was the man to be my assistant.”
With Eggleston assisting Firebaugh the team saw steady improvement. This season they were 14-11 playing in the tough Three Rivers District and River’s season ended just one win away from making the state tournament.
“Being on Coach Firebaugh’s staff for three years, knowing the players and the teams we play, will be a big advantage coming into next season,” said Eggleston. “I learned a lot from Coach Firebaugh these last three years. The biggest thing I took away from him was how to prepare for upcoming games; film study, preparing scouting reports on the opponents, communicating the goals for the game to the team. We have been called a young team the past two seasons. However, that can’t be said for this upcoming year. The team is one with returning and talented juniors and seniors.”
Eggleston doesn’t plan to change much now that he’s in charge.
“For this season the style of basketball we are going to play is solid defense and continuing the motion offense Coach Firebaugh installed,” he said. “We will continue to attack the basket while also getting shooters into position to shoot 3’s.”
Donald has a daughter, Abby, who is married to Cameron Collier. Both are 24 and excited to see Donald get the job.
“Abby and Cameron have said they are excited to watch the live-streamed games and support the James River girls,” he said.
