McIntosh High School has a new voice in the huddle. Marcus Hawkins was named head boys basketball coach for the Chiefs ahead of the 2026-27 season, the Fayette County Board of Education announced in early August — ending a search that opened when Jason Eisele retired after leading the program for many years.
Hawkins arrives with a résumé that stands out even beyond Fayette County. Reports indicate he has won state championships in both boys' and girls' basketball — a distinction that signals he can build winning programs across different contexts.
His path to Peachtree City includes time in Florida and college ball at the University of North Georgia. Most recently he coached girls' basketball at Berkmar High before making the move to McIntosh.
Hawkins has described basketball as a ministry. That framing — basketball as something larger than the game itself — runs through how he describes his approach, emphasizing relationships and life lessons beyond X's and O's.
On the court, Hawkins favors a high-tempo, pressure-oriented style — and early returns from summer workouts suggest the Chiefs are adapting quickly.
Eisele's retirement closes a long chapter at McIntosh. Hawkins now inherits a program with an established identity and the task of shaping what comes next.
Why it matters — For McIntosh fans and players, Hawkins represents a significant stylistic and philosophical shift after two decades of one coach — and his early results suggest the transition is already moving fast.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Hawkins is one of only two coaches in Florida history to win state titles in both boys' and girls' basketball
- Summer scoring roughly doubled to ~50 points per game by late June
- exact announcement date around August 4, 2026
- specific claim of 'one of only two coaches in Florida history'
- exact 20-year tenure for Eisele
- verbatim quote 'Basketball for me is a ministry'
Reported by thecitizen.com, fcboe.org
Where this comes from
Written by Papalocal's AI from these outlets' reporting. It can miss or misread things; the outlets are the record.