Sharks' new coach backs out of position

David Brown decides to take a job closer to home in North Carolina, leaving Nature Coast with no baseball coach.

By IZZY GOULD, Times Staff Writer
Published August 17, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - David Brown had his life packed in a truck ready to leave home.

He was headed to Brooksville, excited for the challenges awaiting him as Nature Coast's new baseball coach.

Then he got a phone call with a better offer closer to home.

Brown talked to his wife, but he already knew what he would do. Brown wasn't leaving North Carolina, and Nature Coast wasn't getting its new coach.

"It's nothing Nature Coast did," Brown said. "I was looking forward to being the coach there. The people I met seemed really good. I was very close to coming. They had a very good baseball job open closer to home, and the money was pretty strong. I have 12 or 13 years invested in the North Carolina system."

Brown had his house for sale and would have left his wife behind until it sold. That's still the plan, but the other job - which he declined to name until next week - is just a few hours away, making frequent visits a possibility.

Nature Coast hired Brown to replace Dan Garofano, who took a job in Georgia at Savannah Country Day School. Garofano led the Sharks to a 20-6 record last season.

Nature Coast athletic director Travis Lamle said the school will begin a new search for Brown's replacement, adding that it will look at past candidates to see if any of them still have interest.

Izzy Gould can be reached at izzygould@gmail.com or (727) 580-5315.

[Last modified August 17, 2007, 00:12:00]