By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

GAYLESVILLE – It’s been a while since Brian Knapp has coached high school basketball. By his estimation, it’s been about 18 years.

But that doesn’t mean basketball isn’t in his blood just like football is.

Knapp just wrapped his first official week of double duty, coaching both football and boys basketball at Gaylesville. He recently took over the boys basketball duties from Kolby Brannon, who is now the head baseball coach at Weaver.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Knapp said. “I want to make sure I give basketball the same amount of time I give football. That’s what I promised (Gaylesville Principal) Mr. (Terry) Gilbreath. Neither sport will be short-changed as far as me, my energy, and my effort.”

To help assist him in that effort, Knapp has recruited someone from which he’s learned a lot to help the Trojans during the summer.

Brian’s father, Buddy Knapp, spent more than 30 years coaching in Georgia at Mount Zion and Coosa high schools. He was athletic director, football and basketball coach at Mount Zion during Brian’s high school career.

“Everything I do I learned from him,” Brian said. “It’s a blessing for me to have him be there by my side. He had a long career as a very successful basketball coach. I watched him do it for years. I played for him. I lived it. We can finish each other’s sentences a lot of times when we coach with each other. I’m the one who screams and hollers, but he’s my calm, probably the brains a lot of times too. We’re on the same page.”

Brian’s grandfather and Buddy’s father, Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame coach Roy Knapp, also coached football and basketball at Gaylesville from 1956-61.

“In 1958 they went 25-4 (in basketball), and daddy will tell you they had some really good players,” Brian said. “They also went undefeated that year in football too.”

Brian’s point is success can be had as the head coach of multiple sports. It’s also been proven at other schools in Cherokee County more recently, including Spring Garden with Ricky Austin (volleyball and basketball) and Jason Howard (football and boys basketball), at Cedar Bluff with Joe Carpenter (boys and girls basketball), and at Sand Rock with Lisa Bates (volleyball and girls basketball).

“Fundamentally, we’ve got a long way to go, but it’s like I told them. As long as you take coaching and hustle, we can work with that,” Brian said. “We’re going to hang our hat on trying to play really good defense and taking good shot selections.

“The good thing is I’m also their weightlifting guy, and those basketball players also wrestle too. I just think it makes them tougher.”

So far, the Trojans have responded well, Brian said.

“There’s no bad body language. They just get in there and do it,” he said. “They know the norm. They do what they’re supposed to do. It’ll pay off. It’s already paid off. Our kids are stronger than they were when I first got here.”

Brian Knapp isn’t the only coach the Trojans are going back to the future with in 2025.

Jeff Nelson is back after a year hiatus with the Lady Trojans. Shane Dodd returns to coach the Trojan baseball program.

“I think we’re all on the same page, and that makes a big difference,” Brian said. “If you’re going to have a consistent product, you’re going to have to scrap, claw, and be physical. I think this place has been that way forever really. That’s the ingredient and the blueprints we use. We’re just going to roll our sleeves up. We’re going to work at it and do the best we can do.”