SALEM — Former Mountain View coach Dave Houle is going home.
The National Hall of Fame high school girls basketball, cross country and track coach isn't actually moving back to his hometown of Dugway, but he has taken a job that he says reminds him of where he came from.
"It kind of takes me back to my roots," said Houle at a press conference Friday morning at the American Leadership Academy where he will coach five sports next season and work as an assistant principal. He said he has no hesitation about going from 5A to 2A with the charter school last September.
"It's the same kind of battles just in a different place," Houle said. "The coaches seem to be a more close-knit group than in 4A or 5A."
Houle retired from teaching and coaching at Mountain View last month, after two weeks of controversy swirled around him and the second-ranked Bruins girls basketball team. At first he said he might resign, then changed his mind at the behest of parents, and in the end, decided to retire from all roles at the school. He said Alpine School District officials wanted to get rid of him after he allowed two girls who were in rooms with sick teammates to sleep in the bedroom of his suite while he stayed outside or in the living room. The parents of the girls have defended Houle's actions in the media and to district officials.
District and school officials have repeatedly said they can't comment on any aspect of the investigation or coach Houle's decision to retire.
All of that is history to Houle, however, as he moves on at a new school, the likes of which Utah probably hasn't seen yet.
The American Leadership Academy is located south of Spanish Fork and will cap its enrollment at 150 students per grade ninth through twelfth. The school doesn't have athletics and was just recently sanctioned by the UHSAA to enter as a 2A school in region 14, which includes schools like North Summit and Rowland Hall. It's much like a private school with mandatory uniforms and small classes, but admission is free.
The school's athletic director, Kalin Hall, a former BYU football player, said he wanted Houle to coach at the school because he's as concerned with their success off the court as he is about what they can do on the court.
"Passion, knowledge of the game, knowledge of life," Hall said describing Houle's traits. "I like that attitude of never giving up."
Houle said he briefly considered several college offers or staying retired, but said he couldn't resist the offer because of the type of school it is, the opportunity to build his own program, and "the financial package."
"I have never coached because of money, but they've been more than fair with me," Houle said. "That was definitely a factor for me."
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com