Replacing a legend can be a thankless task.
When Derryl Britt came aboard as Orange men’s basketball coach in 2018, the whole situation was awkward. Britt replaced Greg Motley, the most successful head coach in school history who stepped down after 20 years. His departure was unpopular among students, staff and the community because of how it was handled. While he wasn’t coaching, Motley would remain at Orange as a teacher for his business class before eventually joining Southern Durham High School–which had been his biggest conference rival during his final years in Hillsborough.
Replacing Motley would have been a taxing situation for many coaches, but Britt had been though something much worse.
The death of his son.
Derryl Lamont Britt Jr. wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father in the military. Derryl Britt Sr. rose to the rank of Sergeant as a MP stationed in Bad Kissingen, Germany. He was transferred to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During a short-term deployment to Honduras, Britt Sr. played on a semi-pro team.
Five days after his son reported to Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, Derryl Britt Jr. died of an aneurysm at the age of 20 in 2008.
17 years later, Britt watched one of his players, Xandrell Pennix, score his 1,000th point in the Central Conference Tournament against Southern Alamance. In the postgame press conference, Britt got a distant look in his eye when he discussed Pennix.
Of all the players that Britt has coached since his career started as a pee-wee recreation coach in northern Virginia, Pennix was the one who most reminded him of his son.
In May, Britt announced that he was stepping down as Orange’s head coach. He is expected to coach at Durham School of the Arts next year.
Players, parents and assistant coaches were the first to learn about Britt’s resignation during the team’s year-end banquet.
“Unfortunately, this season will be my final season here at Orange High School,” Britt said.” That is not a decision I arrived at lightly, and honestly, it is not the ending I envisioned or hoped for. After much reflection, prayer, and conversations with those closest to me, I’ve come to the difficult decision that it is time for me to move forward.”
When Coleman Cloer, Kai Wade and Mason Robinson arrived at Orange as a freshmen in the 2022-2023 season, it marked the Panthers most talented teams since the 2016-17 season, when they went to the 3A state quarterfinals. In 2023-24, Cloer missed the opening nine games due to an ankle injury suffered days before the season opener against Hillside. Yet the Panthers still defeated the Hornets thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Malachi Poole, his only points of the game.
It was a magical start to a championship season. Cloer, Wade, Pennix, Robinson and Hector Garrido paced Orange to the 2024 Central Conference regular season and tournament championships. Orange defeated Currituck County in the opening round of the state playoffs, where Cloer surpassed 1,000 career points as a sophomore. It would also be his final game in Hillsborough. Northern Nash, led by freshman C.J. Rosser, defeated the Panthers in Nashville three days later.
In another time, that group of sophomores would have stayed four years and made Orange a contender for its first state championship since 1969. But Cloer transferred to Caldwell Academy. Robinson left for Greensboro Country Day, taking the heart out of the team. Cloer and Robinson would both claim state championships at their respective private schools the following year.
Cloer is now a freshman at Alabama.
Orange remained a formidable squad in 2024-25. Wade, Pennix, Garrido, Michael Clark and Freddy Sneed helped Orange win at Chapel Hill and had a series of tight games against Person and Eastern Alamance. They finished 19-9, third in the Central Conference and defeated C.B. Aycock in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs.
Wade transferred to Hill County, KY for his senior season. With Garrido at point guard and several seniors who had never played varsity basketball suddenly in the starting lineup, Orange finished 10-16 last season. They actually took Northeast Guilford to overtime in the opening round of the 5A State Playoffs, losing 69-61. Northeast Guilford would upset Croatan and Eastern Alamance on its way to the state quarterfinals.
