Schools’ uncertainty big reason
Murphy – After a decade coaching in Cherokee County, Murphy athletic director and girls basketball coach Ray Gutierrez is moving on. He and his family are moving to Kennesaw, Ga., which he said will provide a better opportunity for his two sons.
“Our boys are in middle school,” Gutierrez said. “And I wanted the priority to be on them in terms of education and even as far as recreation. I think right now the youth, especially people my kids’ age, that’s not necessarily the priority of some of the leaders in the county.”
After Cherokee County was not awarded a grant from the state’s Need-Based Public School Capital Fund that would have gone toward funding for a consolidated high school, and with Superintendent Jeana Conley retiring at the end of this year, Gutierrez said he started thinking about what was best for his family. With that uncertainty, he didn’t see a plan for the future of Cherokee County Schools will moving forward.
“I kind of stayed out of the political realm as far as for or against consolidation,” Gutierrez said. “But what I do know is that I need a vision for the next couple years that improvements are going to be made, and I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
For Gutierrez, it’s not as much about the consolidation as what it represents. As a coach, he’s been to schools across the Georgia line and seen the facilities in places like Fannin, Towns and Union County. But he’s also seen how places like Clay, Graham and Swain counties have invested in their schools, and wonders why that isn’t happening here.
“Twenty years from now, when I don’t have kids in school and I’m looking for a place to retire, I can’t think of anywhere better than here,” Gutierrez said.
“The mountains are beautiful, I love the safety that Murphy has to offer and the many different things that our county has. For me, as far as the youth is concerned … we gotta do better.”
Gutierrez’s sons will attend North Cobb Christian School, which also offered him a coaching job at the high school level. However, Gutierrez turned that down, saying if he was to coach in the future it would only be for his son’s teams. With his duties as girls basketball coach and athletic director, he was missing too many of his kid’s games.
“When your kids look at you and say, why are you coaching everybody else’s kids but your own and why are you missing games, there’s no answer for that,” he said.
Gutierrez told the administration about the move last week, then told his team at the end of the program’s annual youth basketball camp Friday. Rising senior Lochlan Rogers said a few people had heard rumors Gutierrez might be moving, but his announcement caught most people off guard.
“No one really expected it,” Rogers said. “A few people were crying, a lot of people were in shock, mainly. There was a lot of emotions going around.”
Gutierrez leaves a strong legacy in Cherokee County. In four years as the Hiwassee Dam girls basketball coach, six years as the Murphy girls basketball coach and one year as the Murphy boys coach, his teams went a combined 269-49.
Under Gutierrez, the Lady Eagles advanced to the Elite Eight of the state playoffs in 2015 and 2016, going a combined 59-4 in those two seasons.
In his six years leading the Lady Bulldogs, they advanced to the Elite Eight every season and won back-to-back state championships in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 title was the program’s first since 1997, when his wife, Holly, was on the team.
He was also athletic director the past five years, during which Murphy won seven state championships.
“I had so many good coaches and mentors when I was in school that I looked up to that poured their heart and soul into me,” Gutierrez said. “And so I wanted to pay it back, and hopefully I’ve done that.”
As for who will replace him, Gutierrez said he’s staying out of the process, though he would like to see one of his assistant coaches, Cody Webb, stay involved with the program. He said the team had a good summer, and despite losing two-time Big Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year, Torin Rogers, is in position to have another successful season.
“We competed hard this summer,” Gutierrez said. “We played well.
“And so I think our girls program will just continue to be strong.”
Ray Gutierrez by the numbers
4 – Seasons Hiwassee Dam girls basketball coach
6 – Seasons Murphy girls basketball coach
1 – Season Murphy boys basketball coach
269-49 – overall record
2 – State championships
2 – Western Regional championships
4 – Western Regional finals appearances
8 – Elite Eight appearances
8 – Regular-season conference titles
8 – Conference tournament titles