Royal Palm Beach has hired former assistant coach Deonte Savage to take over its basketball program after Marshall Riddle stepped down from his position, according to a school press release.
“I’m a Royal Palm Beach kid,” Savage said. “I grew up here. I’ve been in this community since I was 7 years old. I went to Royal Palm Beach Elementary, went to Crestwood Middle School, went to Royal Palm Beach High School and graduated from there. So I’m a community kid. I want to do what’s best for the community. I’m all about the community, and I want to give these kids an opportunity that maybe they wouldn’t have with someone else.”
Savage was an assistant coach for the Wildcats from 2016-2017 through the 2019-2020 season, stepping aside last season to focus on his education.
“For me, it’s a dream come true,” Savage said. “It’s been a goal for me since I was a kid.”
Savage takes over for Riddle, who went 20-18 over two seasons with the Wildcats. Royal Palm went 6-8 last season. Athletic director Eric Patterson said Riddle stepped down to pursue an opportunity outside of education.
“Coach Riddle did a great job with what he had,” Savage said. “It’s just this COVID thing has really hit the county really hard. As you can see, there’s a lot of coaches moving in other directions. [My goal] is just being consistent and putting a good product out there and coaching them hard and playing hard.”
