Daniel Forbes has been tasked with continuing the success of the Center Hill boys’ basketball program, as he has been named the new head coach of the Mustangs, replacing new Jones College coach Newton Mealer.
Forbes, a Hernando native who has been the head girls’ coach and assistant boys’ coach at Hernando, last week was named as the new head of the Center Hill program.
His record with the Lady Tigers over the past five years has been impressive. Hernando teams under Forbes had a record of 117-32 in that time. Hernando teams reached the MHSAA 6A state semifinals once and the state quarterfinals once. The Lady Tigers won two 6A district championships under Forbes, who was named Coach of the Year four times in his five years with the girls’ program.
Forbes assisted head boys’ coach Stephen Cox at Hernando for six years.
He’ll replace Mealer, who led Center Hill for 12 years and brought what he called a Championship Mentality to “The Hill.”
Mealer’s Center Hill teams won its first 5A MHSAA state championship in 2019 and was state 5A runner-up in 2020. The 2019 title team claimed a school record 31 victories.
This past season, the Mustangs were the District 1-5A champions and made it to the 5A MHSAA state quarterfinals. They now move into MHSAA 6A for the first time this season.
The Mustangs under Mealer earned seven district titles, had five Elite 8 appearances, four state tournament appearances, and two Final Four appearances.
In a statement, Forbes said, “I’m looking forward to the challenge of carrying on what Coach Mealer did for so many years. Following a Center Hill legend is no easy task but administration has come up with a great transition plan and I am confident in my ability to coach these young men at a high level.”
