Basketball coach resigns after five years leading the Mustangs

Basketball coach resigns after five years leading the Mustangs Jennifer Fierro Special To The Highlander Fri, 04/05/2024 - 02:31 Image

• Travis Crain steps down as the Marble Falls High School boys basketball head coach after five years. Jennifer Fierro/TexasChalkTalk.com
• Crain

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Marble Falls High School boys basketball head coach Travis Crain resigned. Marble Falls Independent School District athletic director Kerry Timmerman began the search for a new coach April 2.

“I made the decision to step down,” Crain said. “It was my decision. I love this community, I love this town. I look forward to what’s next for the district.”

When Crain was hired five years ago, it was a reunion of sorts. He was an assistant on former coach Bruce Etheridge’s staff. Etheridge guided the program from 2008-2012. Crain was an assistant coach at Dripping Springs High School when Marble Falls was looking for its next head coach after Matt Bailey resigned. Crain was the head coach at Lytle from 2012-14 before going to Dripping Springs. Crain's five-year stay with the Mustangs was longer than the three previous head coaches, dating back to Clint Baty, who resigned in 2008. That commitment to the program was personal for Crain.

“I wanted to stabilize and build,” he said. “I was able to do that over five years.”

As the head coach, Crain was at the helm for the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020 and the ice storm in February 2021. That explains plenty about how the next two seasons would play out. Texans were issued stay-at-home orders after spring break in March 2020. Children didn’t return to school until the 2020-2021 school year. Most athletes lost invaluable preparation time -- their offseasons.

When the Mustangs beat Georgetown East View 61-49 Jan. 5, 2021, no one imagined it would be their last win, without the other team forfeiting, for about 18 months.

“We played one district game in two weeks because players were quarantined,” Crain said. “We had to move games to the end of the season.”

That 36-game losing streak ended with a 55-47 win against Lockhart Nov. 12, 2022.

That win was the first of several great moments that season. The Mustangs delivered the first district title to the program in 18 years and the first playoff appearance in 12 years.

“Year three was a rebuild and year four, we put it all together and got a piece of the district title and got to the playoffs,” Crain said.

This season, Marble Falls came within a play of qualifying for the playoffs again.

Crain also was 5-2 against Burnet.

While all of those victories and milestones are terrific, Crain noted the accomplishments not obvious to fans are gratifying. They included a locker room for the program and jerseys for the freshmen.

“We were able to build the infrastructure and upgrades,” he said. “I am really happy we were able to provide for our players. I’m really proud of what we were able to accomplish here.”

He was chosen as Teacher of the Year for Marble Falls High School and Marble Falls Independent School District.

The Crains have no plans to leave, he said.

“I’m staying in the district and working in the high school,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of my players and love them with all my heart and care about them deeply. I’ve no doubt they’ll be successful. I have no reservations the program will continue to move in the right direction.”

Jennifer Fierro publishes reports about area youth athletic events on her website TexasChalk-Talk.com. To send her a note, email fierrojennifer@yahoo.com.