Gulf High School didn't have to look very far for its new girls basketball coach.
Bruno Buonsanto, an assistant coach with the program the past two years under Clare Ennis, was selected from five applicants, according to athletic director Shari McFarlane.
"It was a very tough decision,'' McFarlane said. "But Bruno is very familiar with the program and that was important to us. We wanted to make sure the transition was a smooth one. This is going to be a young team and we think he's the perfect coach for them.''
The Buccaneers were 23-4 last season and advanced to the Class 5A region quarterfinals. Since the 2009-10 season, Gulf has won at least 21 games per season and advanced to the region final in 2011-12.
Buonsanto will be the third Gulf coach since the 2008-09 season.
"I have big shoes to fill, no doubt,'' Buonsanto said. "The expectations are high. We've lost five seniors and only have one senior returning so it could be a tough season. But what I've been telling the girls, and it's kind of an overused phrase, but there's no excuses. If they can buy into that then we should be okay.''
One of the changes Buonsanto plans to implement is a junior varsity team. Gulf did not have one last season.
"That's the key to our future success,'' he said.