June marked a couple of milestones for new Dublin ISD girls’ athletic director and head girls’ basketball coach Brandon Haught.
Not only did he get engaged to Lingleville kindergarten teacher and cheer coach Brittany Watson, he also swapped his wings for claws as he left his position as girls athletic director at Lingleville for his new post.
“I wasn’t really shopping around,” Haught said of the school switch. “It just kind of happened.”
He and Watson discussed it when he saw the job posting and decided there were several benefits.
Haught is a graduate of ClearView High School and The University of Houston-Clear Lake who coached in League City before coming to Lingleville in 2024. Although he has traded his maroon in for green, he won’t be a stranger to Lingleville especially since his fiancee works there.
“I’m excited to work with a larger staff,” he said of the change. “From my experience so far, [DISD Athletic director] Greg Hardcastle is good to work with.”
He is also getting to see the excitement about the girls’ athletic program to which he credits the established Dublin coaches like Hannah Smith and Skye Gaitan. Haught said since starting, there have been between 30 and 50 Lady Lion athletes showing up for daily practices in the middle of summer.
Haught said that was his biggest pride in his two years at Lingleville as he saw participation grow from two varsity players in summer workouts to 80 percent of the whole program. As a coach, Haught led volleyball and basketball teams to several playoff runs but the coach gave all the credit to their success on the court to his players.
Haught said his overall impression of Dublin has always been favorable, noting a good work ethic and speed in their ranks. He added his surprise that the team hasn’t had playoff bids in a number of years and stated that as an express goal for this year, asserting they have the potential.
“They look like they could be competitive,” he said “They just need a little bit of that belief. Hopefully that’s something we can get going real fast.”
Haught will also be assisting in track and cross country which he sees as a relief from his previous position as head of multiple sports. Haught said the larger staff and support base means he will be able to help his fellow coaches and devote more time to specific goals in the basketball program.
Haught appreciates that basketball teaches players adversity and to persevere. “Basketball is a game of runs,” he said. “You can score six points quick— boom, boom, boom—and the other team can fire it back so you can never get too high, you can never get too low..... It’s how you respond.”
“We’ve been preaching the word standard,” Haught said of himself and the coaching staff.
“I’m really excited to meet the parents and athletes I haven’t met yet,” he added.
Equipment pick up for DISD athletes will be July 31, and he hopes he can meet and talk to many people then.