Prep Basketball : Trabuco Hills Names Athletic Director

Gary Sabella, who has spent the past five years as the principal of La Paz Intermediate School in Mission Viejo, as been appointed athletic director at Trabuco Hills High School, which opens next fall.

Sabella, a Mission Viejo resident, began his teaching career at Pacifica, where he served as assistant coach for varsity football and head coach for junior varsity baseball and frosh-soph basketball. He later served as an assistant principal at Rancho Alamitos before taking a similar position at Serrano Intermediate School in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District.

Sabella said he was willing to sacrifice his position at La Paz for the opportunity to help open Orange County’s newest high school.

“That’s what was exciting about it,” he said. “I’m really interested in opening a brand new school, and having the authority to hire coaches is kind of intriguing.

“My goal is to create a very high-quality athletic program, realizing we’re going to start with a small enrollment. It’s probably going to take a few years to be real competitive.”