Garr named new McHi basketball coach

McALLEN — Homer Garr was named the new McAllen High boys basketball coach Monday, concluding a search that began when Roy Swift resigned June 15.

Garr, who is originally from Virginia, coached the past five seasons at Roma, where he won three District 32-4A championships. During the last four seasons, the Gladiators were 106-34. The new Bulldogs coach has coached basketball for the last 13 years and was an assistant at McAllen Memorial before taking the job at Roma.

“Working in Roma was great,” Garr said, “but is is still not McAllen. McHi is one of the storied programs.”

Garr, 39, is taking over a program that has seen plenty of success. The Bulldogs have won three consecutive District 30-5A titles and have advanced to the Class 5A Region IV tournament the past three seasons.

The main core of the Bulldogs, though, have graduated, and Garr said he is ready to take on the rebuilding process.

Garr compared the situation to when he took over at Roma. He said the team needed to be rebuilt when he took over five years ago and needed to go through rebuilding last season.

“Really, there are expectations everywhere,” Swift said. “No one has more than I do or I wouldn’t have taken the job (at McHi).

Swift, who had coach at McHi since 2006, resigned in June to search for other opportunities.