(Banner Staff Photo by Doc Smith) Brook Hill head basketball coach and athletic director, Wally Dawkins chalked up his 600th career win this past Monday when The Guard beat Chapel Hill, 61-52 in the opening round of the Wagstaff Holiday Classic. Dawkins picked up his 100th career win as head coach at Chapel Hill before coaching at Whitehouse, prior to Brook Hill last year. TYLER - Bullard Brook Hill boys basketball coach Wally Dawkins got his 600th win of his career, when The Brook Hill School beat Chapel Hill 61-52 in the opening round of the Floyd Wagstaff Holiday Classic this past Monday.

Dawkins earned the milestone against one of his former schools, Chapel Hill, coaching the Bulldogs from 1982-87. Most recently, he coached Whitehouse for 19 years.

Serving as the Brook Hill athletic director also, Dawkin’s career record now stands at 600-254.

“I am really very honored,” Dawkins said after the win on Monday. “You don’t think you’ll ever coach long enough to win 600 games, and in 29 years of having good schools, with good players and I have been very fortunate to be at Brook Hill right now.”

Dawkins began his career at Lueders- Avoca, where he spent one year before coaching for two years at Clyde High School. The Abilene native started his East Texas legacy during his stint at Chapel Hill, making the 600 career mark all the more memorable.

“Chapel Hill is a former school, their assistant coach (Shane Chambless) played for me at Whitehouse, and there are a lot of good people out there, and that just makes it all that more special.”

In Dawkins first year at the helm at Brook Hill, he took The Guard to the TAPPS state semifinals. While at Whitehouse, the Wildcats were a Class 4A power that made it to the regional tournament five times in Dawkins stint at the school.

“Going to Brook Hill from Whitehouse was a big change, but it was a good change,” Dawkins said about his move to Brook Hill two years ago. “It came at a good time in my life, where I could retire from public schools, and be at a place like Brook Hill.

“A private school that is wanting the best at everything we do,” Dawkins continued about his move. “But it’s been a big change for me that has been invigorating, and I can’t say enough about how pleased I am to be at Brook Hill.”