PREP BASKETBALL: Gouard named new Danville boys basketball coach
May 23—DANVILLE — After Durrell Robinson left the Danville head boys basketball coaching job in April, the school did not have to go far or take long for his replacement.
David Gouard, who played at the school and was junior varsity coach for Robinson, was voted in as head coach by the District 118 school board during its meeting on Wednesday.
Gouard said while he was loyal to Robinson, the chance to coach at his alma mater was way too good to pass up.
"I thought as long as Durrell was here, I was going to be here," Gouard said. "After he left, I sat down and had a talk to myself and this was something that I wanted to do and it has always been a dream of mine every since I put on a Vikings jersey. When I joined the staff, it started to become a reality, so I said we will go for it."
Gouard was freshman coach for Robinson's first two seasons before being JV coach for the last three.
"I have had four years with the seniors, three years with juniors and so on," Gouard said. "It is not a big transition for me as well as the kids I would think."
To start in his first few weeks as coach is to keep the players working hard as summer break is about to come for Danville.
"I have to keep the kids in the gym and hope they get one percent better every day starting tomorrow until the first game of the season," Gouard said. "We have to keep them engaged and keep them on track. There is not going to be much of a change in basketball, but there are things I do want to do. We just have to make sure the kids are better every day.
"I want the community and kids to be ready to rock and roll."
Gouard also joins a family head coaching fraternity with Danville Area Community College head coach DaJuan Gouard and University of Southern Indiana head coach Stan Gouard.
"It is pretty cool to have DaJuan at DACC as someone I can lean on," Gouard said. "He's been a head coach running his own program for years and Stan coaches Division I at Southern Indiana. Even my oldest daughter (Sydney Gouard) is an assistant at Decatur Central High School (In Indianapolis)."
