TRAVERSE CITY — Noah Phillips wanted to get back even closer to home.
The Traverse City St. Francis grad accepted Traverse City Christian’s vacant athletic director job after spending the last three seasons at Suttons Bay.
Phillips and his wife live in Traverse City and his charter boat company is based there.
“Being from Traverse City and living in TC, the goal was always to be an athletic director or some type of administrator somewhere in TC,” Phillips said. “When the position at TC Christian came open, I had to go for it.”
At Suttons Bay, Phillips was a middle school teacher, assistant athletic director and varsity boys basketball coach. With the Sabres, he’ll serve only as athletic director.
“The basketball program has been running pretty smoothly the last few years,” Phillips said. “I get to sit back and enjoy the show like everybody else.”
Suttons Bay has football, which TC Christian doesn’t, but the Sabres have bowling and cross country programs. TC Christian is also launching its own stand-alone boys soccer team this fall after co-opping with Traverse City St. Francis since starting the program.
Micah Gallegos stepped down as Christian’s AD earlier this summer to take the same position at Frankfort.
“He left everything pretty ready to rock and roll,” Phillips said.
Phillips graduated from St. Francis in 2014 after a standout basketball career there, then played two seasons at Ave Maria University in Florida and three campaigns at Grand Valley State University. After graduating, he taught third grade for two years at St. Francis before accepting the Suttons Bay position.
He majored in social studies with a minor in K-8 education at Ave Maria and GVSU.
The Sabres currently have two open coaching positions, baseball and junior varsity volleyball.
“Stepping into a new role,” Phillips said, “things go from zero to 100 in a hurry.”