LIVERMORE – Two seasons ago, Granada’s boys basketball team won the Northern California Division I championship. This past season, it reached the Division I regional final. The Livermore school’s baseball team this spring is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.
But next school year, Granada will have a new athletic director after David Moore was recently informed that he would not be retained after six years on the job.
“The reason I was told by my principal was that they were going in a different direction,” Moore told the Bay Area News Group on Monday. “There was nothing about what that direction was.”
Moore noted that it was clearly not based on results, adding, “I feel like a lot of our programs are doing really well and better than they have.”
Granada principal Clark Conover, whom Moore replaced as athletic director, said the AD job is renewed every school year in his district, as are coaching positions.
“Potential staffing changes are considered on an annual basis and we don’t typically comment on details of staffing decisions,” Conover told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday.
Moore said he was informed in late February that he would not be retained.
He will remain Granada’s athletic director until the end of the school year and be replaced by math teacher Eileen Greenlee.
“We’ve hired another athletic director for next year and we hope she can continue with Granada athletics to make it a great experience for students,” Conover said.
Moore’s situation is similar to that of former Branham athletic director Landon Jacobs, who was dismissed from his position last month. Jacobs, like Moore, also said he was not given a specific reason as to why he was being let go. He led the San Jose school to numerous league and section championships over 14 years.
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The decision to dismiss Moore occurred at the same time that Granada football coach Mark Moses was told that he would not be back next fall.
Conover said there is an evaluation process that goes into decisions about retaining coaches but not one for athletic directors.
Moore was instrumental in Granada’s recent athletic success, particularly in boys basketball.
Moore promoted Quaran Johnson from JV to varsity head coach in 2019. Since then, Granada has made five consecutive North Coast Section playoff appearances and back-to-back trips to the CIF NorCal regionals.
Granada athletic community members remain shocked that Moore will no longer lead the department.
“I don’t know what they’re doing over there,” said one parent of a Granada athlete, who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s hard to wrap your mind around letting go of an AD when the teams have had nothing but success.”
While Conover said he understands the community’s frustration, he believes that Granada will continue to have success under Greenlee.
Meanwhile, Moore recently transferred to another school within the district, Christensen Middle School, to teach physical education. He had worked in the math department at Granada, in addition to his duties as AD.
Moore said he is undecided about his future, but hopes to be around high school sports in his next job.
“I still believe in high school athletics,” Moore said. “I think initially I didn’t know if I could do this the same way at a different school, but I think because I’ve taken a step back I see that kids are kids. Whether they’re here or at a different school, if I can provide an experience that builds them up and grows them as people, I would consider that.”