Coach James A. Phillips was appointed the new athletic director of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne last week, and he’s ready to see students back in the gym and on the field this fall.
“Already over the past three or four days, it just feels right and I am really excited about a new challenge and I am really looking forward to it,” Phillips said.
Phillips, a native of England, currently resides in Melbourne Beach after moving to the U.S. 25 years ago. He attended Florida Institute of Technology, accepted a position at Holy Trinity 12 years ago to coach the varsity boys soccer team and had since become the head of the Physical Education Department for the school. He is also a director for select programs for Space Coast United Soccer Club.
Sports figure significantly in student life at Holy Trinity. According to Principal Dr. Katherine M. Cobb, “the athletic director plays a very important role in the school, as more than 80 percent of our students play one or more sports.
For the sake of our students and their parents, we wanted to make sure we had the perfect candidate to lead our athletic program.”
A committee made up of Holy Trinity leaders, faculty, parents and staff narrowed down the applicants to eight candidates, who were then interviewed in person or via Skype. Current and former employees were among the 119 hopefuls.
The job title entails overseeing all the athletic teams at the school, as well as looking after the student athletes on campus. “I understand why so many people applied for the position … because Holy Trinity is really a great place. It’s a huge honor for me to be here and it’s also a big responsibility because of the reputation that this school has,” said Phillips. While looking forward to more district championships in soccer, Phillips will be focusing on all the teams at the school.
The athletic director job is being vacated by Scott Crockett, who is moving on to the same position at an international school in the Dominican Republic. While Crockett held the athletic director’s position for the past four years and led the school’s teams to 27 district championships, 12 region championships, and two state championships, Phillips is coming in with more than 20 years of experience in soccer and has hopes of furthering the school’s accomplishments.
“Over the last four years, coach Crockett left me with a great opportunity because all of the sports teams here are really thriving, and I just want to build on that success to begin with and maybe change a few things down the road,” said Phillips.
Article by: Alexandra Heyer, correspondent