Coach Marc Puente with his son Cooper. (Ryan Crowe/FCR)
FLOYDADA – In a surprise announcement on Thursday, July 7 from Floydada Collegiate Superintendent Dr. Gilbert Trevino, Marc Puente has decided to take the boy’s head basketball job of the Plainview Bulldogs. Floydada hired Puente on April 15.
“Coach Puente really struggled with this decision. He grew up in Hale Center, where athletes and coaches in that community always viewed Plainview as a dream job, plus he had established a relationship in the Plainview ISD by serving as an elementary assistant principal previously”, explained Dr. Trevino. Hale Center is only 10 miles from Plainview on I-27. The Hale Center ISD currently employs Puente’s wife, where they were both raised, so there are Hale County roots in their family.
Plainview’s boy’s basketball coaching job became available the last week of June when Drew Thompson accepted the boy’s basketball position at Abernathy. Thompson had been coaching the Bulldogs for six years. Plainview is a class 5A school.
Floydada has its entire starting lineup returning from the 2022 team that had 22-wins and was the runner-up of District 3-2A. Puente had expressed that when hired, he was excited about the tradition of Whirlwind basketball and the experience he would inherit. He expressed similar sentiments during June as the Whirlwinds were playing summer ball and exhibiting a lot of potential for another strong upcoming season.
“Floydada is still a good coaching job. We will find the best-qualified person we can to take over the boy’s program,” Dr. Trevino expressed.
