Faith Academy’s Vaughn named Dean Weese winner

CAPTION: Harvey Vaughn is the Mid-Size Private School Dean Weese Outstanding Coach, an award voted on by members of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. Vaughn completed his first year as the head coach of the Faith Academy of Marble Falls Lady Flames. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball head coach Harvey Vaughn received the 2025 Mid-Size Private School Dean Weese Outstanding Coach Award.

It’s presented by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

“I was very surprised, I wasn’t expecting it,” Vaughn said. “It’s nice for the team to be recognized.”

In his first year guiding the Lady Flames, the team reached a regional final where they lost to eventual Class 3A state champion and District 3-3A rival Waco Live Oak in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.

That’s a far cry from where they began.

As veterans were finishing volleyball season, the Lady Flames began its pre-district basketball schedule with a roster of underclassmen, which were mostly freshmen.

While Vaughn could see talent, he also understood it was raw. So he set out to teach his players the basics of the sport while also installing his playbook. It took patience as the Lady Flames learned from their mishaps and applied them.

They began the district campaign with a win, the culmination of having all of its players together for a month. They gutted out other victories to qualify for the playoffs and beat Huntsville Alpha Omega Academy 57-37 in the area round of the playoffs before facing Live Oak.

“From where we started to where we finished is the most improved of any team I’ve ever coached,” Vaughn said. “This wouldn’t be possible without the girls showing up every day, who are hard workers and wanting to win. If I didn’t have those girls, this wouldn’t have happened.”

As for the Dean Weese Outstanding Coach award, Vaughn said it’s one that’s shared by many.

“I consider this to be a ‘we’ award instead of a ‘me’ award,” he said. “I think it’s a coaching staff award more than an individual award.”

The staff includes assistant coaches Steve Hatch and Senia Zimmerman.

Coaches are nominated for the award and members vote on the recipients.

“I have no idea who nominated me,” Vaughn said. “I found out from (Faith Academy athletic director Zakk) Revelle. He texted me a congratulations.”

Vaughn said he was honored to receive the award on behalf of the staff, the players and the academy.

“It also means a lot more when your peers vote you in,” he said. “It’s obviously nice to be recognized. This is just an outside recognition. We’re on the right path and doing the right things to make progress on our goals.”

The team graduates one player – Hadley Shipley. Eight of the Lady Flames are playing club basketball or are training multiple times per week during the offseason. In June the Lady Flames will play in the Lampasas League.

“We plan on having a good season next year,” Vaughn said.

CAPTION: Though head coach Harvey Vaughn is the Dean Weese Outstanding Coach, he credited his coaching staff, which includes Steve Hatch (back, left), for the honor. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro