Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Charles Henderson High School has a new varsity basketball coach in Tim Fayson.

A longtime Charles Henderson Trojan, Fayson takes over for former head coach Doug Branson.

The announcement was made during the Troy City School’s Board of Education Meeting on Monday.

“It’s a blessing,” Fayson said. “It’s one of those things that came out of the blue. It wasn’t anything I was expecting. The opportunity presented itself and it feels great. I have to send a shout out to my wife, my family and coach Hollis for their support.”

Fayson played and graduated from Charles Henderson High School in 1989. He played at Alabama Southern and later played basketball at Troy University under head coach Don Maestri. Fayson and the Trojans led the nation in scoring in both years he was a Trojan.

Fayson returned to Charles Henderson approximately 20 years ago to coach under former head coach Carl Hollis. Fayson and the Trojans made it to Birmingham for the Final Four. After taking a break from basketball, Fayson returned to Charles Henderson’s bench along with former head coach Shelby Tuck. He has spent the last five years with the Trojans.

Because of that, Fayson has plenty of familiarity with the players.

“It’s going to be wonderful,” Fayson said. “This senior group was in the eighth grade when I got here, so a lot of them had me as a JV coach. I saw the potential in this group back then. They looked the part and they were good young men. They progressed and have gotten better as basketball players every year. It will make the transition easier. I look forward to it.”

Fayson and the Trojans want to continue this year’s success, but the ultimate goal for Fayson is to instill the Trojan spirit.

“It’s personal,” Fayson said. “I played here, my brother played at Charles Henderson. I know a lot of guys that have played for Charles Henderson. There are so many names that I can call out that shaped my career. Some of my teammates that I played with that have passed away, those guys meant a lot to me because I played with them. Some of the players that I have coached that have passed, Mario Harris and John Johnson. Those guys were Charles Henderson Trojans through and through. The first thing, for me is to instill the Trojan spirit and bringing those guys memories back.”