Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

High School Basketball:

Valley coach Farnsworth steps aside after 10 years, plenty of memories

Valley High Defeats Las Vegas High Basketball

L.E. Baskow

Valley High head coach Brian Farnsworth talks to his players in their locker room before they face Las Vegas High as basketball rivals on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015.

Brian Farnsworth was contacted last week by one of his former Valley High School basketball players looking to get together for dinner. Another former player stopped by the school this week to check in.

In 13 seasons with the program, including the past 10 as its head coach, Farnsworth credits those lifelong relationships as the highlight of the job. He stepped down this week, not because he didn’t want to coach the players he’s so fond of at Valley anymore, but because it was time to put all his energy into his family.

“When I started 13 years ago, I didn’t have any kids of my own,” he said. “Now my oldest is in middle school. The time it takes to be successful coaching, it’s a full-time job. The time it takes to be a dad, it’s also a full-time job.”

Farnsworth won more than 200 games as head coach and four times reached the Sunrise Regional championship game. Twice, the Vikings played in the state play-in game. While he won’t be on the Valley bench next winter, the relationships he developed will never be broken.

“Valley has been good to me,” he said. “If you would have told me 13 years ago I would still be here, I would have thought you were crazy. It became my home away from home. I was lucky to be around good people.”

Farnsworth’s first three seasons were spent as an assistant on the staff of his father, Tom Farnsworth. Together, they led Valley to the state semifinals in 2005, giving son valuable lessons on how to run a program and motivate teenagers.

Both of Brian Farnsworth’s parents are physical education teachers. At a young age, he knew he wanted to follow in the same career path. He started teaching at age 22, and four years later was the Valley head coach after Tom Farnsworth retired.

“He’s the best coach I’ve been around. He does everything the right way,” Brian Farnsworth said.

Valley has sent about 30 players to various levels of college basketball the past 10 years, and two have played professionally. Another two have played in the NFL.

They’ve also had the league’s player of the year four times, and all five starters from last season’s team have scholarship offers from small schools.

“We were lucky. The kids wanted to be here and be coached by us,” Farnsworth said. “That relationship with the players is the biggest thing I am going to miss.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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