DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Two new coaches will be leading the Black Bears women’s basketball and baseball teams in the coming year.

On Monday afternoon, the Decatur City Schools Board of Education (DCSBOE) approved the hiring of two Austin High School (AHS) coaches during their called meeting.

The Lady Black Bears basketball team will now be led by Austin alum Brian Davis, who served as an assistant coach for the AHS girl’s basketball team from 2020-2022.

Davis was a member of Austin’s 1996 final four team and was named AHSAA All-State. His wife Alma, also a graduate of AHS, is a former Lady Black Bear basketball player. The couple has twins, who will be juniors at AHS next year.

“I am humbled, excited and thankful for this opportunity,” Coach Davis said.

Davis has been an assistant basketball coach at AHS since 2013. He’s been assisting with the girls’ team since 2020, but prior to that, he was with the boys’ basketball team.

In 2012, Davis was an assistant coach for the Sparkman High School boy’s basketball team, which finished as runner-up in the state tournament that year.

Austin’s new head baseball coach, Hunter Smothers, is a guy who is very familiar with Class 7A, Area 8.

Smothers spent the last six years as a pitching coach at Bob Jones High School. During his tenure, the Patriots made it to the elite eight twice, the final four once and were state runner-up once.

Pitchers under Smothers set school records for strikeouts in 2019 (391) and 2023 (413).

Bob Jones also had 32 college signees while Smothers was an assistant coach, 12 of which went to Division I schools. Teams set the school record for wins in both 2018 with 36 and 2019 with 42 while Smothers was on the staff as well.