Dreher basketball coach making jump to new role with Blue Devils
Dreher High School has filled its athletic director opening but now needs a new basketball coach.
Blue Devils boys basketball coach Daryl Jarvis has been named the school’s new athletic director. He replaces Jeff DiBattisto, who was named the Spring Valley athletic director last month.
Richland One rules prohibit an athletic director from also being a head coach. Jarvis coached the boys for just one season and went 4-4 in the COVID-19 shortened season, missing out on the playoffs.
“The move as a natural one for me,” Jarvis said. “I always have been involved in multiple sports and always tried to help my athletic directors any way I could in hopes of one day being an athletic director. When this situation came up, I wanted to throw my name in the hat and see if I had a shot at it. My end game was to always be an athletic director. I love leading and I always love being a servant leader and helping people out and coaches grow any way we can. It was just a natural progression for me.”
Before coming to Dreher, Jarvis went 62-51 at C.A. Johnson from 2011-16 and led the Green Hornets to their first state title in 25 years in 2014. In Jarvis’ final year, C.A. Johnson went 13-10 and advanced to the Class A Upper State final before losing to Calhoun County.
Jarvis and CAJ parted ways and he was out of basketball for two seasons before taking the West Florence job. He was 35-17 overall at West Florence in two seasons, making it to the second round of the 5A playoffs each season.
Jarvis’ first order of business will be finding his replacement. The job will be posted in the next day or so and Jarvis said they would like to have someone in place by June 1.
Jarvis said he would like for candidate to have head coaching experience but wouldn’t be opposed to giving a chance to an up-and-coming assistant, the same way he was given the opportunity. Dreher is in its first season of Region 4-4A with Irmo, AC Flora, Westwood, Lugoff-Elgin and Richland Northeast. The Blue Devils haven’t made the playoffs since 2016-17.
“We are going to do our best to pick the best candidate,” Jarvis said. “I think we will find a good person to come in and take on the task.”
Midlands basketball coaching openings
Boys
School — Former Coach — New Coach
Dreher — Daryl Jarvis — TBA
Lower Richland — Caleb Gaither — TBA
Spring Valley — Perry Dozier — TBA
Girls
A.C. Flora — Coral Johnson — TBA
Gray Collegiate — David Golden — Ashley Bruner
Northside Christian — Lucas Hargrove — Kristen Dickerson Fortenberry
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 11:43 AM.
