PLAIN TWP. — One of the area’s most successful high school basketball coaches is moving on.
Plain Local Schools announced Thursday that Paul Wackerly no longer will coach the GlenOak girls basketball team after 10 seasons with the Golden Eagles.
“As we look to the future, we are committed to building on the foundation established by Coach Wackerly and are eager to welcome a new coach who will inspire and lead our young athletes,” the school district said in a press release.
Wackerly has won 526 games in 33 seasons as the girls basketball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas, North Canton Hoover and GlenOak and the boys coach at Perry. The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association honored him as a Century Award winner in the spring. Wackerly was presented with a ring in recognition of achieving 500 career wins.
Wackerly’s career was highlighted by leading Hoover to the 2001-02 Division I state championship. He guided GlenOak to consecutive state appearances in 2019 and 2020, losing in a semifinal in ’19 and having the state tournament canceled in ’20 because of COVID.
Wackerly’s Golden Eagles lost in a regional final in 2021 and a district final in 2022. GlenOak won five Federal League titles under Wackerly.
Overall, his teams won 10 district championships.
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