Sheila Boles Gymnasium officially opens at Hoggard

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s been years in the making and today was the day Vikings fans have been waiting for as the Sheila Boles Gymnasium officially opened on the campus of Hoggard High School.

The dedication ceremony featured Hoggard staff, New Hanover County dignitaries and of course the namesake of the gym, Coach Sheila Boles.

Coach boles has an incredible legacy in Wilmington with UNCW and Hoggard, including being the first woman to be the head coach of a men’s varsity basketball team in North Carolina.

The gym, featuring seating for more than 1,700 students, all new locker rooms for the athletes, amongst other new fixtures, is a dedication to a woman that has meant so much to the Hoggard athletics program.

“Never could have imagined anything like this,” Coach Boles said. “Just the mere opportunity that Mr. McManus gave me to coach the varsity team was an honor in itself much less that all these years later something like this could happen. I would’ve never imagined it.”

“Well I hope that we can make her proud and put a good product on the floor,” Hoggard Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach Brett Queen said. “We certainly have a lot of hard working kids that are going to do their best to put a good product out here. We’re excited to be able to have a new home.”

Along with the new gym, the school also unveiled their brand new front office and cafeteria that will be used by Hoggard students for years to come.