David Grace named head coach at Higley

Arguably the biggest job opening of the 2026 coaching cycle has been filled by a familiar name.

As first reported by NextUpAZ’s Spencer Goldberg, David Grace has accepted the position to be the next head basketball coach at Higley High School in Gilbert.

This comes following a month-long plus search following the resignation of former head coach Kenneth Drake.

Grace last coached at Campbell Hall (CA) before separating ways in October of 2025.

From 2013-2018, Grace was an assistant coach at UCLA and also coached at the division one level at Sacramento State, San Francisco, Cal, Vanderbilt, and Oregon State,

Prior to coaching at Campbell Hall, Grace coached at Centennial high school in Peoria in the 2022-23 season and reached the 5A Final Four. Prior to that he had won a state championship as head coach at South Mountain in 2005-06.

Higley returns an intriguing core of prospects including Isaiah Rider IV, Marquice Pless, and Michael McIntyre.

The Knights in 2025-26 reached the quarterfinals of the AIA’s Open Division where they fell to semifinalist Millennium on the road.

With a strong core, Higley has already been announced as an automatic bid to the weekend of Section 7 and looks to be one of the contenders for the Open Division crown in 2026-27.