Just when it appeared George Houston was a safe distance from the limelight \u2014 it\u2019s been a decade-plus since he last coached at Juneau-Douglas High School \u2014 the retired hoops coach had to go and get elected into two different hall of fames.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Houston was formally inducted into the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame at the AABC Awards Show at Dimond High School in Anchorage.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just the second AABC Hall of Fame induction class. Last year, WNBA forward Jessica Moore (Colony High School) and former Point Hope coach Rex Rock Sr. were selected as the inaugural class.<\/p>\n
This year, Houston joined former NBA guard Trajan Langdon (East High School) in the hall. Currently, the AABC Hall of Fame admits one coach and one player each year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe this distinction should be very special and hard to come by,\u201d AABC president David Porter wrote in a 2015 online post about the hall of fame.<\/p>\n
Porter said he received an abundance of nominations this year for Houston, who became the clear favorite for the coaching spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like it was between him and several other coaches,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When the head coaching position finally opened up in 1992 at Juneau-Douglas High School, Houston was plenty prepared for the position after serving 18 as an assistant. He would go 279-85 record over the next 14 seasons as head coach. Only once in Houston\u2019s tenure as a head coach did his team have a losing season \u2014 winning 11 Region V and two state championships along the way. Houston was named Alaska\u2019s \u201cCoach of the Year\u201d three times and his teams finished out of the top-five in the state once.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, the success we had with the program was because of the kids we had here,\u201d Houston told the Empire in an interview Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Alaska Association of School Activities (ASAA) also selected Houston as part of their 2017 hall of fame class.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many Southeast Alaska basketball coaches, fans and players, Coach George Houston is a true legend,\u201d an April 1 press release stated about the coach. \u201cHis name is synonymous with outstanding performance, both on and off the court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Houston joins four fellow coaches, four athletes and one administrator in the 2017 class. The ASAA Hall of Fame ceremony is May 7 at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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