Coaching news

The coaching carousel is circling in high speed these days. Former Strong boys basketball coach Anthony Avery is now the new boys basketball coach at Strong. A couple of long-time Union County softball coaches have called it quits - maybe. And, former Parkers Chapel coach Lee Scroggins has gotten out of the business along with perennial gray beard Brad Slatton.
I must say I was surprised when Avery came back to Strong after bolting for Warren a few years ago. The coach never moved and was commuting back-and-forth to Bradley County. But, I never thought he'd make the move back to his old gig. For some reason, I thought Avery would keep moving on to bigger schools.
I guess Strong is where his heart is and ain't nothing wrong with that. It doesn't hurt that the Bulldogs have a lot of talent to work with.
I haven't made the call but I think it was pretty much a done deal that Mike Poff would take over the girls program at Smackover after Marsha Cowling resigned. I guess I do need to call the Poffster to make sure.
Scroggins has been trying to get into administration and finally did. He is an assistant principle at Hot Springs Lakeside. Interestingly, his daughter Emilee, an outstanding point guard, will probably stay at Cutter Morning Star. I can't blame a kid for not wanting to move and leave her friends. I'm sure it's a bummer for Lakeside coach Gary Don Smith, though.
Parkers Chapel is looking for a new softball coach after Rhonda Swilley stepped down this week. Swilley's parents are getting older and she wants to take care of them. Although she won a slow-pitch state championship and was a perennial state tournament team in fastpitch, Swilley might be most missed in the classroom as a science teacher. The school wants to replace that vacant position before worrying about softball.
El Dorado new athletic director Phillip Lansdell is also looking for a softball coach. Lyn Benson resigned mid-season and was replaced by Michael Brooks, who resigned recently to take a job outside the school district - I think Saratoga?
Brooks was also the football receiver's coach. I talked to Lansdell on his first day as AD. He also has to find a tennis coach so he's a busy beaver. I've heard through the grapevine it's not out of the realm of possibility that Benson get the job back. There's a lot going on behind the scenes with this story that I won't even talk about on a blog.
Apparently not being a coach is agreeing with Slatton, who is looking forward to life in administration at his Fort Eliot school in Texas. We'll see how much he likes it when a new coach loses a game with his former team next year.
I'm hoping some of our former female athletes like Jamie Ball, Amy Kennedy and Adam Bishop will get a look at some of these coaching openings. We'll see how the carousel turns this summer.