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FROM STAFF REPORTS

ALABASTER, AL – Thompson High School announced Art Bogan as the Warriors’ new varsity girls basketball coach on Friday, July 14.

“As we transition into the Bogan era, I want to thank coach Marty Smith and his staff for their work with our women’s basketball program. I believe we are well-positioned to cast coach Bogan’s vision, set and achieve new goals, provide new and exceptional experiences for our players and go from good to great,” THS athletic director Vincent Pitts said.

Coach Art Bogan takes over the Warriors program after spending the 2022-23 season as an assistant Women’s Basketball coach at Texas Southern University.

From 2019 to 2022, Coach Bogan directed both the men’s & women’s basketball programs at Casady High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. While head coach at Casady, Bogan led the girls’ program to a Southwest Preparatory Conference Championship during the 2020-21 season. Before Casady High School, Bogan spent one season as an assistant coach at Edmond North High School. During his lone season at Edmond North, he helped guide the team to its first Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) Class 6A State Championship as his main responsibilities were skill development for the team’s guards.

Bogan was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. from 2008 to 2013. While at SNU, Bogan was responsible for organizing and executing the team’s skill development program. He was also in charge of the team’s defensive scouts, and strength and conditioning in addition to serving as recruiting and video coordinator. During his time at SNU, he helped the program achieve a No. 2 ranking in the NAIA Coaches Poll and was a part of a coaching staff which became the fastest staff to reach 50 wins in program history.

Prior to SNU, Bogan was an assistant coach at Chipola College in Mariana, Florida. from 2005 to 2008. During his time at Chipola, he helped guide the program through a dominant stretch of record-winning seasons for three straight years. In his three seasons at Chipola, the team finished with a 98-9 overall record, which also included a NJCAA National Tournament runner-up appearance and a pair of Panhandle Conference titles. He also specialized in the development of the team’s forwards and centers.

“We are very excited to have Coach Bogan accept the role of head women’s basketball coach at Thompson High School. We engaged in an extensive and lengthy process that saw our search cast a very wide net in an effort to find the very best fit for our program. Our due diligence and patience have paid off; we have found the very best head coach in Art Bogan,” Pitts said. “Coach Bogan brings a wealth of basketball experience, a deep desire for building a successful program and a heart for our players. As is our goal for all of our programs, we look forward to positioning our program for championship success and relevance at a national level.”

Pitts noted Coach Bogan’s extensive experience in Texas, Oklahoma, Florida – and in his home state of Alabama – as a factor that led to his selection.

“I want to thank former Thompson High School principal Dr. Wesley Hester, incoming Thompson High School principal Mr. Mike Lee, our Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers and our Board of Education for their support through this process and athletics in general,” Pitts said. “I warmly welcome Coach Art Bogan & his family and I look forward to working with them.”

Before joining the coaching ranks, Bogan was a successful player in the state of Alabama at both Wallace State Community College and the University of Montevallo. Art and his wife Tanya, have two sons, AJ and Joshua.