Olympia High hires its next boys basketball coach

Justin Shipp, a former Windermere High and Dr. Phillips High assistant coach, has been tapped to take over for the retiring Rob Gordon.

By Sam Albuquerque
| 12:00 p.m. May 20, 2024

Sports
High Schools

Following Rob Gordon’s announcement of his retirement as Olympia High’s boys basketball coach, the Titans have announced the hiring of Justin Shipp as their next coach.

“We are really excited to have Justin become only the sixth head coach in Titan history,” said Olympia Athletic Director Russell Wambles in a press release on the school’s athletics website. “There is no doubt in my mind that he is highly capable of continuing the tradition of excellence that the previous coaches have put in place.”

Shipp takes over one of the most successful programs in the area. Under Gordon’s stewardship, the Titans’ program won 20+ games in four consecutive seasons, won back-to-back metro conference titles, only had one losing season in his seven and accumulated an overall record of 123-71.

This will be Shipp’s first varsity head coaching position, after having served as a varsity assistant for Windermere High — and former Olympia coach Mark Griseck — and junior varsity head coach. Prior to his time at Windermere, Shipp also served as an assistant at Dr. Phillips High; helping lead the Panthers to the state championship in 2021.

Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.