Bob Jones Adds New Basketball And Volleyball Coaches To Staff
Both were approved at a recent Board Meeting.
“I’m very excited about moving up to a Class 7A program as that has been a dream of mine since I began coaching,” said Mullinax, who has been the head volleyball coach at Arab High for the past seven years and replaces longtime coach April Marsh who took a similar position at Athens High.
“I know the Lady Patriots’ program has struggled lately and I hope to get the program back to what it used to be and I’m looking forward to revamping the team and sort of starting over,” said Powers, who comes to Madison after two seasons as head coach at Homewood High and will take over for Andre Reynolds who vacated the position by agreement with the school.
Mullinax comes from a great lineage in athletics as her father was a longtime coach at Arab and her uncle is currently coaching volleyball at Wallace State. Mullinax’s experience with the sport stems from her being a three-year All-State player at Winston County High. She’s also coached middle school and club volleyball since 2008.
For the Arabian Knights, Mullinax led the squads to three appearances in the Class 5A final four with the most recent shot at the state title in 2018 where her team lost in the state semi-finals.
“I’m flattered and very grateful for the school to have sought me out for the job as I wasn’t pursuing a new coaching job as I was very comfortable at Arab,” said Mullinax, 29. “My style on the court is that I do a lot of coaching and very active always talking to someone. I can get loud when I need to be.”
For Powers, the 29-year old is a former basketball star at Austin High of Decatur and went on to a stellar college play at Samford University. She also coached at the university after her graduation and took the Homewood position for two seasons where her squads posted seasons of 25-10 and 10-18.
“Next season at Bob Jones will be very similar to what I was faced with at Homewood this past season as sort of rebuilding mode,” said Powers. “I wasn’t really looking for a new job as Homewood was great to me. I received a call from Ms. Lambert, the Bob Jones principal, and we talked. What drew me in the position at Bob Jones was the fact it brings me back close to my family.”
Powers’ brother, Jerraud, lives in Madison and is a former NFL player who played college football at Auburn. Her mother lives in Decatur, her father in Priceville, while she has two sisters, one lives in Huntsville and the other in Decatur.
“I will live with my sister in Huntsville until I find a place of my own in Madison and will make treks to Madison a couple days a week to meet with the Patriots’ team members and begin workouts,” said Powers. “I will finish the school year at Homewood teaching Physical Education.”
Powers said she expects her team to push the ball as she prefers an aggressive style of play. “I’m passionate about being a coach as I’ve grown as a coach over the last couple of seasons. I’m serious on the sideline and teach the basics of working hard and performing before anything else.”
Powers also has a photography business on the side and said, “I’m always somewhere with a camera in my hand.”
Mullinax has been married to Billy Mullinax for over two years and she has two step-children. She loves to travel and go hiking and is fond of her dog named Zoey, who Mullinax said was a rescue dog. “I have a younger sister who lives in Tuscaloosa while my parents live in Double Springs.”
Another interesting fact about Mullinax is she’s hearing impaired and wears hearing aids. “I found out I needed them when I was a sophomore in high school, but certainly didn’t let that slow me down,” added Mullinax, who will complete the current school year in Arab where she teaches Physical Education.
