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Varsity Boys Head Coach - Markus Hood
 The 2010-2011 school year will begin Markus Hood’s 11th season as a varsity head basketball
coach and third season as Allatoona’s first head coach. After the first season’s record of
5 and 21, coach Hood was looking for big performance improvements based on his team’s work in the off-season.
Without disappointment, the second year’s team gained 13 wins over the first year tallying a record of 18 and
8. After two years, the Buccaneers
are laying a solid foundation for years to come. The Bucs are already putting in hard work in the weight
room and in individual development for next season. Coach Hood on next season’s outlook, “I
have been very impressed by how some of our kids are stepping up and taking personal responsibility to make sure that we have
a successful season next year. We have some leaders beginning to emerge, even in our off-season and that’s
where championship teams begin.”
In 2007-08, Hood led the Hiram Hornets to their first ever State
Final Four appearance. His team finished the year with a 24 and 7 record along with a final state ranking of #4 in the
coach’s poll. This was a 20 win improvement over his first year at Hiram when his team went 4 and 22. He
spent 4 years as head of the Hiram High School Varsity Boys Basketball Program following a 4 year stint as the Head Varsity
Girls Coach at East Paulding High School. In his tenure at East Paulding coach Hood took his team to 4, 20-plus winning
seasons compiling an 88-30 record. Rounding out his coaching resume, he spent a year as an Assistant Varsity Boys Coach
with Dodge County High School and a year at McEachern High School wearing the same title.
In 2003 coach Hood was named Region 7-AAAA coach of the year by the
Atlanta Tip-off Club and in 2004 GACA Region 7-AAAA coach of the year. In 9 seasons as a head coach, Hood has compiled
an overall record of 144 and 83, 5 state tournament appearances, 3 Region runners-up, 1 Region Championship, 2 Sweet-Sixteen
appearances, and 1 Final Four. Markus
Hood was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. A 1993 graduate of McEachern High School he was a 3 year lettermen in
basketball and baseball. Following graduation, he played basketball and baseball at Atlanta Christian College.
He is a 1999 graduate of Georgia Southwestern State University with a B.S. degree in Health and Physical Education.
Coach Hood continued his education at the University of Alabama earning his M.A. in Health Science in 2005. He finished
his Ed.S. in Leadership from Cambridge College in 2007. Coach Hood currently resides in Dallas, Georgia with his wife
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Varsity Girls Head Coach - Michael Taylor
Coach Michael Taylor returns for his second
year as Girls’ Varsity Head Coach. He is excited about this season with the return of several key players who bring
experience, while adding some talented freshmen in the mix. The 2009-2010 season should be exciting and full of action. The
road to one of the best programs in the state gets going now. Coach Taylor has 10 years coaching experience. Prior
to joining AHS, he spent 2 years as McEachern Boys' Varsity Assistant. He spent the preceding 7 years as an
assistant with the legendary Sheryl Fowler. During this time, he was part of 5 consecutive region championships,
3 sweet sixteen appearances, and 1 trip to the final four. He has served as a 9th grade and JV coach, compiling a record
of 108-13, while winning 5 county championships and completing 2 undefeated seasons. Coach Taylor
has been coaching high school sports for 14 years. He has guided his athletic teams to 6 region championships,
2 state runner-up finishes, and state championships in track and field in 2007 and 2008. He has won 11 “Coach
of the Year” Awards and has also been named to ‘Who’s Who Among America’s Best Teachers.’ Michael
Taylor has lived in Cobb County since he began school. He is a 1998 graduate of Osborne High School and attended the State
University of West Georgia where he earned both his BS and Masters Degrees in Special Education. Coach Taylor
and wife, April, recently moved to Acworth with their 2 daughters, 10 year old Parker and 7 year old Rylee Faith.
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Boys Jr. Varsity & Asst. Varsity Coach - Nicholas Estes
Coach Nick Estes continues as Head Junior Varsity Coach and
Assistant Varsity Coach for the Buccaneers and looks forward to improving upon the team's play from last season. Coach Estes helped Hood and the Hiram Hornets to the state Final Four appearance
and a 24 -7 record as Head Junior Varsity and Assistant Varsity Coach during the 2007-2008 season. The Hornets finished
the season ranked #4 in the state coaches’ poll. Estes began his career in 2003-2004 as the Assistant Varsity coach for the Lady Raiders of East Paulding. The
team won the region title and made a trip to the Sweet Sixteen finishing the season with a 25-5 record. The following year,
Estes made the move with Hood to Hiram High School where he coached the Freshmen Boys Basketball Team. He then coached
the Junior Varsity and assisted with the Varsity. A 2000 graduate of East Paulding High School, Estes participated in basketball, football, baseball, and tennis.
He received his Bachelors’ Degree in Secondary Mathematics Education from Kennesaw State University and earned his Masters
in Instructional Technology through Troy University this past summer. In March, coach Estes became engaged to Kimberly Armbruster, the athletic trainer at AHS. They plan to marry
following this year’s basketball season.
Boys Freshman & Asst. Varsity Coach - Jason Carmichael
Coach Jason Carmichael begins his second year as the Buccaneer
Freshmen Boys coach. Coach Carmichael’s basketball history began in the basketball-rich state of Indiana. He was
a three-year letter winner at powerhouse Muncie Central High School. From Muncie, Carmichael moved to Memphis, Tennessee to
attend Christian Brothers University on a basketball scholarship. He still holds a number of school records including assists,
steals, and free throw percentage. In his junior year, he led the nation in free throw shooting percentage. Coach Carmichael has been married to his beautiful wife Stephanie since
2000. They have a son, Wesley, who hopes to one day wear the red and black at AHS. Coach Carmichael currently teaches 2nd
grade at Dowell Elementary. Coach
Carmichael is excited about the direction of Allatoona basketball and looks forward to being a part of the program for many
years.
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Girls Assistant Varsity Coach - Mallory Poteet 
Coach Mallory Poteet returns for her
second year as the Varsity Girls Assistant Coach. With Buccaneers' first season behind them, Coach Poteet will build on the
established basics and fundamentals that will prove to be the core of a winning program. As a 2006 graduate of neighboring Kennesaw Mountain
High School, Coach Poteet was active in athletics and played on the Kennesaw Mountain Lady Mustangs basketball team. She brings
unbridled enthusiasm to the Bucs with her hands-on basketball expertise and relates well with the players, using her youth
and experience to build their confidence and command their respect. Coach Poteet is a life-long Kennesaw resident and a senior at Kennesaw State University.
She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Coaching. She enjoys spending time
with family and friends while also taking time to referee or play in an occasional pick-up game. She is a positive role model
and exemplifies the best in hometown talent giving back to the community. With Mallory Poteet as part of a solid coaching
staff, the Buccaneers are sure to bring a solid performance on the court. Girls
Assistant Varsity Coach - Clark Boler
Allatoona is proud to welcome Coach Clark Boler to the
Lady Buccaneers’ Coaching staff. Coach Boler has had tremendous success as a player as well as both a high school and
college coach with many years of accomplishment. Boler was born in Coker, Alabama, where he was a stellar athlete at Tuscaloosa County High. He was selected as a
High School All American, All County, All Region and All State in Football as well as basketball. He also played baseball
four years. Coach Boler led his team to the State Championship in basketball and was named MVP. After high school, Coach Boler earned a full football scholarship to the University
of Alabama. He played on two Sugar Bowl Teams, an Orange Bowl Team and was a member of Coach Bryant’s first National
Championship Team at Alabama in 1961. Upon graduation, Boler was asked to stay on as the University of Alabama Graduate Assistant
Coach for Football while working on his Masters. Coach Boler then taught 3 years as a Physical Education Teacher at Gadsden High School in Alabama. He
was the Head Baseball Coach, Defensive Coordinator for Football and Assistant Basketball Coach. Moving north to accept a college level coaching position at Bloomsburg State in
PA, Boler was named Head Football Coach, Head Cross Country Coach, Head Baseball Coach and both Offensive/Defensive line and
Defensive Coordinator for the Husky football team. Coach Boler led the Huskies for 14 years. Finally returning to his southern roots, Coach Boler moved his family back to Atlanta
and taught at F.T. Wills High School for the next 7 years. He was the Assistant Footbal coach Boys' Basketball coach taking
his team to the state tournament twice winning in 1986. Boler also taught at Smyrna High School and later at Osborne.
In his 15 year tenure at Osborne, Coach Boler led his Girls' basketball team to state competition 4 time guiding them to the
Elite Eight and a Region 5AAAA championship. He was named the Region5AAAA Coach of The Year and was President of Zteh
Cobb County Tip-Off Club for 9 seasons. Most
recently, Boler taught at Wheeler High School in Marietta before joining the Allatoona Basketball coaching staff. He is married to his beautiful wife, Tran, and has been blessed with 7 grandchildren.
Co-Head
JV Coach & Varsity Assistant - Kim Fortenberry
The Allatoona Basketball Program is fortunate to have Kim
Fortenberry coach the JV and Varsity Girls. Coach Fortenberry returns for her second year as Co-Head JV Coach and exudes a
genuine interest and care for her players. She is quick to offer positive reinforcement or words of encouragement yet holds
each player accountable to bring their very best game, both on and off the court. Coach Fortenberry is a native of Cobb County, having graduated from North Cobb High School. While at
North Cobb, she was a stand-out 3 sport athlete in softball, basketball and track. She garnered a softball scholarship to
Georgia Southern where she earned her BS degree in Health and Physical Education. Coach Fortenberry then returned to
Cobb teaching at Pebblebrook High School for 16 years before moving to South Cobb High School for the next 8. She continued
her education at West Georgia where she earned her Masters in 1989 and at the University of Southern Mississippi where she
earned her Specialist degree in 1997. Kim
Fortenberry has spent the past 25 years coaching high school softball, basketball and track making a positive impact on students’
lives. She enjoys spending time with her family and relaxing at her cabin. She currently teaches Health at Allatoona and co-sponsors
Lucky Bucs, a club to help homeless pets.
Co-Head JV Coach & Varsity Assistant -
Julie Speeney
Julie Speeney brings 4 years of successful
coaching experience to the Buccaneer girls basketball program. Speeney joins the Buccaneer staff as Co-Head Coach, Junior
Varsity and Varsity Assistant. Speeney
worked as an assistant coach at South Cobb High School under head coach Cliff Collins. She helped lead South Cobb squad
to the play offs 4 straight years including an elite eight and final four appearance. Coach Speeney's experience extends
well beyond basketball including stints as head coach for girls and boys lacrosse and swim & dive. Speeney completed her doctorate work in administration
and is currently working on her dissertation through Argosy University. She is also head of the Science Department here at
AHS. Coach Speeney lives in Dallas with her husband Coach John Speeney and their two children Christian and Hannah.
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