HOMETOWN HERO BUILDING A LEGACY
Hornet great Jay Oliphant has turned Huntsville into a power
STORY & PHOTOS BY JOSH CRISWELL
Few names are as synonymous with Huntsville basketball as Jay Oliphant .
A Hornet hoops great himself in the late 1990s , Oliphant has built his former high school program into a Southeast Texas power over the past six years as head coach .
Winners of three straight district titles and 43-consecutive league games from 2017-2020 , Huntsville reached even greater heights last season — securing the program ’ s first area title in over a decade with a last-second win over Georgetown in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs . And with the bulk of his key contributors back , Oliphant is expecting even more from the Hornets this season .
“ It was really exciting ,” Oliphant said . “ We ’ ve been chomping at the wood for several years , and that team finally got over the hump . I thought we had another game in the regional quarters that we could have won as well , but we came up a little short . The core of that team is back this year , so hopefully we can get it together and make that push to reach the region tournament .”
While it ’ s been over two decades since he starred on the hardwood for the Hornets , Oliphant still remembers his playing days like they were yesterday .
“ Just those moments playing basketball , having that bond with the team and having long lost friends ,” the coach said of what he remembers most about his time in high school . “ I still talk to those guys to this day . It ’ s just memories you ’ ll never forget .”
In a district that paired them up against perennial powerhouses such as Klein and McCullough , the Hornets were far from the annual league favorite they ’ ve become in recent years . As a junior , however , Oliphant and his teammates managed to break through and reach the postseason .
“ My junior year we finally broke that streak and made the playoffs ,” he said . “ We had lost to Bryan multiple times in a row , and we finally beat Bryan right there in a district game .
It was a pretty nice crowd ... that ’ s one of the few games I do remember . We finished second , and finally got over the hump to go to the playoffs .”
Oliphant took his talents to Brenham after high school , starting his college career at Blinn . He returned to Huntsville two years later , choosing the hometown Sam Houston State Bearkats over several other offers .
“ I had a few offers , but I decided to come back home to be around family and friends ,” Oliphant said . “ It turned out to be a pretty good decision for me .”
Oliphant returned to Huntsville ISD as a coach and educator shortly after his time with the Bearkats ended , and has been there for the past 17 years — including 12 as a head coach , with six at the helm of the girl ’ s program before taking over on the boy ’ s side in 2014 .
“ We had a really good run , and I really enjoyed it ,” he said .
The 2020-21 season will present an array of challenges for Huntsville , and ones that extend beyond navigating the COVID-19 pandemic . With four of five starters in the playoffs on an undefeated run with the Huntsville football team , the Hornets — who were ranked No . 14 in Class 5A in the TABC preseason poll — have canceled their non-district slate .
Rust seems to be an inevitability awaiting Huntsville once its full team is finally back together . However , with standouts such as District 20-5A Offensive MVP Jadarian White , top newcomer AJ Wilson and all-district selections Tai Matthews and Taylor Harrell set to return , Olpihant is confident the Hornets will be able to quickly get back on track .
“ The main thing with the way this year is going , not being able to have any preseason games , I ’ m glad they already know what ’ s going on ,” Oliphant said . “ Hopefully after a week or two of getting the rust off , we can pick up where we left off last year .”
HUNTSVILLE LIVING | WINTER 2021 | 19