AMBOY – Brad Dunlap wasn’t expecting what he heard on the other end of the phone call.

The Amboy boys basketball season had just ended and he was getting ready for the summer events for the Clippers. Until he received a phone call from a well-respected coach and program.

“I was very fortunate to be contacted after our season by Sterling High School and coach Ryan Vasquez, who I’ve known through the basketball coaching ranks,” Dunlap said. “They gave me an opportunity to coach at Sterling, and it’s hard to turn that down with the direction I want for my career. They have a high-level, big-time program, and it’s always been a dream of mine to coach a team like theirs, a high-level Class 3A program.”

Dunlap, who will be a Sterling varsity assistant coach and the sophomore head coach, became an Amboy High School physical education teacher and the head freshmen-sophomore boys hoops coach for the 2019-2020 school year.

He took over the varsity team the next year, 2020-21, and has led the Clippers for the last four years.

Leaving the Amboy program wasn’t an easy decision, but this next step has been something he’s thought about before.

“I just think the quality of the Sterling program, the long-standing tradition with sports in general, not just basketball, has a great message and great attitude. It drew me in,” Dunlap said. “Everything is about getting better and putting in the best effort. They also have great facilities.

“I have thought about moving up the ranks to try to coach at the small college level. Sterling is a step in the right direction as it will help me make connections for the higher level.”

Not only is taking the Sterling gig a career decision, but it’s also one for the family.

The Dunlaps moved five-minutes outside of the west side of Sterling in August of 2023. His wife, Ashley Dunlap, teaches in the Sterling school district and their kids go to Sterling schools.

“It was kind of a no-brainer for us,” said Brad Dunlap, who commutes 40 minutes one way to AHS.  “I’ll get to see my kids more and go to their events. Hopefully I get the opportunity to coach our two boys. It was a really, really big family decision. Thought went into it because I’m still teaching in Amboy. I’ll start coaching in Sterling this summer, but I’m still teaching in Amboy.”

Although his coaching days in Amboy are over for the time being, Dunlap is thankful for the opportunity he had with the Clippers.

The coach hopes he left a lasting impression.

“My time in Amboy was really great. The kids were really good. I feel like they bought in. We took a program that wasn’t the best and made it better,” Dunlap said. “When I first started, there were 13 basketballs and half of them were flat and five practice jerseys for the entire team. Now, every junior high player has a jersey, and we have more numbers than we’ve ever had. There were 60-something junior high kids out. Since I took over, we’ve had both a fresh-sophomore team and a varsity team. We started a summer league a couple of years ago and there are now eight varsity teams and eight freshmen-sophomore teams involved. There’s no doubt we pushed things in the right direction.

“I think with what we’ve done, I think in the next year or the next few years, the Clippers will be competing for regional titles. I have no doubt about it. It shows the work the assistant coaches and the junior high coaches have put in. The kids work ethic is amazing.”