After a two-year absence, Brandon Varner will return to a coaching role with the Randleman girls’ basketball team. (Randolph Record file photo)
RANDLEMAN — Brandon Varner is returning to the role as girls’ basketball coach at Randleman, appreciating a strong commitment from school officials to the program.
“It was their passion about girls’ basketball and they really wanted me to lead that team,” Varner said. “From the get-go (principal Corey Phillips) was pretty passionate about that girls’ basketball team.”
Varner stepped away following five seasons directing the Tigers in the spring of 2023. He’ll be the third coach in three seasons in 2025-26, following Steve Rightmyer and Scott Tyson.
Last spring, he was contacted by Phillips about the opening, but he said he didn’t want to discuss the possibility of returning. That changed this time when the position became vacant.
Varner said Phillips and athletics director Jake Smith “weren’t going to take no for an answer.”
Varner is a teacher and assistant football coach at Randleman Middle School, where he also has been athletics director. He’ll no longer handle AD duties there.
“Last time, I just had so much on my plate,” he said.
Varner’s teams went 103-20 during his first stint as coach, including 88-10 in the last four seasons.
He said he rarely attended the varsity team’s games the past couple of years, though he was on hand for a first-round victory against Providence Grove in the Class 2A state playoffs last month.
“There was a piece of me that did miss it,” Varner said.
Randleman went 16-11 during the past season. The Tigers had a string of three consecutive seasons without a Piedmont Athletic Conference loss end.
Bella Byman and Kadie Green, who’ll be seniors next season, played as freshmen on Varner’s last team.
“I’ll be jumping back into it with another group,” the coach said. “It’s going to be a lot of work. We’re going into a new conference.”
Assistant coaches will be Taylor Gantt, a former Randleman player, and Shawn Cassidy, who previously assisted Varner.
Tyson is heading for a physical education job at Thomasville.
