Beloved Golden West boys basketball coach Drew Hall mourned after tragedy
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Golden West coach Drew Hall remembered for leadership and player support.
- Hall died during solo hike in California’s Mineral King area on July 12, 2025.
- Over $42,000 raised via GoFundMe to support Hall’s wife and two daughters.
Golden West High athletic director John DeLong knew Drew Hall when he was in seventh grade.
Several years later, DeLong and then-AD Tom Buckley hired Hall as the school’s boys basketball coach.
He felt it was a no-brainer because of how well Hall carried himself.
“Drew is probably one of the most solid human beings you’re ever going to meet,” DeLong said. “There aren’t a lot of weaknesses in his game. The way he treats people, the way he leads, his personality, to be able to speak with people. He is just a complete man.”
Tragedy struck the Golden West community after Hall separated from his group while hiking in Sequoia National Park on July 12. His body was found Sunday below Sawtooth Peak by friends and family who were searching the area on foot.
Hall was 36.
Rangers said Hall was active and fit but was hiking in rugged terrain in the Mineral King area of the national park located in Central California.
“This was gutting,” DeLong said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by former player, Jagar Brooks, for Hall’s family .
At least $60,000 has been raised as of Thursday morning.
“Drew was an amazing family man and a great basketball coach for Golden West High School,” Brooks wrote on GoFundMe. “He truly loved his players and family and was always helping others.”
DeLong shared with The Bee that Hall informed him last October that the 2024-2025 season would be his last.
“He was pretty emotional when he told me,” he said. “He didn’t want to go and I didn’t want him to go, but I also understood that he needed to be at home with his two daughters.”
Hall is survived by his wife, Ruthie, and daughters, Riley and Emmy.
