New Kids On The Block: Meet The Mavericks Of Goodyear High School

What do you do when tasked with starting a new high school and athletic program in Arizona? You build a coaching staff that includes coaches with MLB, NBA, and college experience to lead the way forward.

Former Phoenix Suns guard, Gerald Brown, headlines the notable list of coaching hires as the new Head Basketball Coach at Goodyear High School. / ROB SCHUMACHER / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The city slogan, “It’s a great time to be in Goodyear”, not only describes the beautiful desert vistas and scenic mountains of the charming southwest town that sits a short drive from Phoenix, but it also embodies the feeling surrounding the start of a new high school in Maricopa County, Arizona – Goodyear High School. 

That’s the home of the Mavericks.

A year after breaking ground on the building of their educational and athletic facilities and fields, Goodyear High School is aimed at creating strong sports programs that will compete for championships in the Agua Fria Union High School District against Agua Fria, Canyon View, Desert Edge, Millennium, and Verrado, as Goodyear High School prepares to welcome students to school in early August. For a historic city that was founded in 1917 after the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company purchased the land to farm cotton for their tire cords and is home to the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians during spring training, the Mavericks are focused on leaving their own mark on Goodyear. 

Mavericks Cultivating A Championship Program

Take one look at the impressive list of coaching hires by the Mavericks heading into year one and you’ll see a variety of rich experience, in-depth training and skills development, and a clear commitment to helping student-athletes get better. There’s a former NBA player on staff. There’s a former MLB player lending his knowledge. There’s a sense that we’re all in this together as the new kids on the block. 

Pat Parnell may bring 17- years of know-how on the football field following college coaching stints at Jacksonville University and UC Davis, along with coaching high school football in Washington, but come August 27 when the Mavericks host Canyon View (where he previously coached as well) Coach Parnell might feel like a rookie all over again. Until then, he’s simply grateful. 

"I am honored and incredibly excited to serve as the first-ever head football coach of Goodyear High School. I am committed to cultivating a championship program rooted in the pursuit of competitive greatness while still fostering a culture of service and empowerment within our school and community. I'm ready to get to work and begin the legacy of Goodyear Football,” said Coach Parnell on social media after his hiring. 

When he’s not leading young men into battle on the gridiron, Coach Parnell will serve as a Student Support Specialist and be tasked with working with students to grow, on and off of the field.

Goodyear Adds Coaches With MLB and NBA Experience

In March, the Mavericks made their baseball hiring official by announcing that Donzell McDonald II as Head Coach. In a career that included playing professionally for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals in 2001 and 2002, Coach McDonald has also worked as a coach and scout with the Texas Rangers. He’s learned a life-time of baseball since coming out of Cherry Creek High School in Colorado where he played alongside his brother, Darnell, who also played in MLB and was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 1997. 

With a Major League Baseball presence around the Mavericks, it’s only fitting that they were able to add a little National Basketball Association flare to kick-off the program. 

Most recently Goodyear High School welcomed Coach Gerald Brown to the family. No stranger to Phoenix, the former Suns’ guard played his high school basketball at Carl Hayden High School where he led the program to 29-1 season and a state title before going on to play college basketball at the University of Pepperdine. He’d later return to the school as an assistant coach after a professional playing career that spanned 26 years from the NBA, to Europe, and the ABA. Coach Brown brings a wealth of knowledge in player development, team leadership, and strategic game planning to the Mavericks. 

Leadership In Inaugural School Year Starts At The Top

The school also rounded out their early coaching hires with Mike Mendoza (Head Softball Coach, over 25 years of experience), Angie Tauer (Head Women’s Basketball Coach, former All-American and National Champion) and Monica Ballaro (Head Pom and Dance Coach, over 20 years experience and a former NFL cheerleader) helping lead the way at Goodyear High School. 

With the start of the 2025-26 school year right around the corner and surely an exciting beginning to this new era for the athletics program thanks to some solid coaching hires, things just might go from good to great for the Mavericks.