CANEY BAY — Brantley County first-year head coach Matt Hickox, a native son and alumnus, believes the addition of a new gymnasium and amenities are keys to building a successful athletic program.
“This is the first thing built, I believe, in 26 years for athletics,” said Hickox. “Our old fieldhouse (adjacent to the football/girls’ softball field) was built in 2000. It was very nice when I was in school, but that was also about 20 years ago. Coming into this (new facility) has been almost surreal.”
Hickox, who arrived in March from neighboring Pierce County, is excited to be coming home and try to build a program the community can be proud of.
“A lot of the work and the vision had already been put in place and set up,” he said referencing the school system’s decision to upgrade. “A lot of people ahead of me put in a lot of hard work and brought great ideas together to develop this. I’m the one who got to come in and walk into the new facility.”
The $16+ million new gymnasium is state of the art with office space for each respective head coach in the athletic department. There’s also a meeting room for the football coaching staff.
There’s locker rooms for football and basketball, a training room and two weight rooms with lift racks (eight in big weight room) and a health nutrition area between the two for athletes to refuel after workouts.
“Football programs down in South Georgia are built in the weight room,” said Hickox. “When I came in, I spent two months in the old weight room. All we (coaches) preached to the players was how vital and important the weight room was.
“When we opened the doors and started bringing in brand new weights with our name and our logo on them, and the kids are looking at brand new power lift racks the players were extremely excited. It’s an extremely exciting time to be here.” Included is a laundry room to house two washers and two dryers and a shute for players to toss their equipment in.
There is a spacious band room, a choir room and a room for the dance team with full-length mirrors on three sides. Included is upstairs storage space in several areas.
The new Herons Nest includes a student section behind the southern end of the spacious court and two video boards, one at each end of the floor above the scoreboards.
“This facility is spacious, clean and wellequipped,” said Hickox. “It’s got the new smell everybody likes. It is as nice as you could ask for. Everybody (football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, cross-country, band) has been utilizing the new facility.
“The weight rooms have brand new weights, power lift racks, and a nutrition stand. We’re (coaches, trainer) trying to make sure we’re building the athlete, the whole athlete.”
Hickox, who arrived in March from neighboring Pierce County, said their is excitement and pride among the student-athletes with the new digs.
“They’re glad to be working with the state of the art equipment,” the first-year coach said. “They’re keeping this place very clean. They are taking pride in the new facility, and they’re also working their butt off in the weight room.”
Hickox believes the cultural change, with the investment by the community, will help reenergize the student body and improve athletic participation “I really feel like the investment the community has shown in wanting to improve athletics is huge,” Hickox said. “Coming home was a big deal and this investment was a great opportunity for me to come here. I see that the community is ready to take that step.
“I would like to see the stands packed on Friday night’s with 2,000-plus fans cheering. That’s another investment in the athletic program and that goes across every sport. If the athletes have a community standing there supporting them, they’ll always have that memory. It also brings out more of a competitive edge in games.”
Photo By RICK HEAD
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