With the 2001-2002 school year fast approaching, Brookhaven andWest Lincoln are still searching for basketball coaches. In bothcases, the position is a high priority, even higher visibilitysituation. The Panthers and Bears both are recognized for theiroutstanding basketball programs.

In West Lincoln’s case, pardon the pun, the vacancy was createdwhen Jason Case accepted the position of principalat the school two weeks ago. Teaching and coaching contracts weresigned in May so whoever gets the job will have to break theircontract unless the coach is hired from within the Lincoln Countysystem which would make the transfer easier.

Case coached the boys and girls varsity and junior high teamslast season. His replacement/replacements could have similarresponsibilities. Randy Laird is expected tocontinue coaching the junior high boys.

Basketball is a hot item at West Lincoln. Case replaced hisfather, the legendary Jack Case, as girls basketball coachlast year. The elder Case, who won back-to-back boys basketballstate championships in 1981-82, coached at West Lincoln for 30years before retiring. The gymnasium is named in hishonor.

At Brookhaven, Superintendent of Education Dr. SamBounds has worked hard to find a proper replacement for BHS boyscoach Preston Wilson who resigned in May to take the head job atWarren Central. Bounds wanted to replace Wilson with another blackcoach to help maintain a minority in that position. Severalqualified black coaches were courted but they all elected todecline the offer.

If you speak to high school administrators and athleticdirectors about employing minorities, the response is similar. Onlya handful of black coaches are certified to teach other subjectsbesides physical education and driver’s ed. That problem provides abig stumbling block when a principal is attempting to fillvacancies on his teaching staff.

Blacks, Hispanics and Asians who are certified to teach subjectslike science and math are coveted by school systems inside and outof Mississippi. They can virtually write their own ticket.

Another problem in education these days is the low scale of payin Mississippi. Remember Governor RonnieMusgrove’s election campaign promises?

College students are not eagerly entering the field of educationlike they used to, say some 20-30 years ago. There is much moremoney to be made in other fields and a lot less headaches. Teachersdedicated to education are becoming difficult to find.

Aboard the coaching merry-go-round. Bringing you up to date onseveral coaching changes which have taken place. In the BHS system,Greg Wall’s resignation as head football coach andathletic director brought about several changes in the footballstaff. After five years at BHS, Wall has returned to South Pikewhere he coached 25 years. Randall Huffman, Wall’sdefensive coordinator at BHS, has officially been hired at SouthPike and will teach driver’s ed. It should be a heckuva a game whenSouth Pike visits Brookhaven Oct. 19 and meets Andrew Hickman’sPanthers on King Field. South Pike is the early favorite to win theRegion 6-4A title.

Some more BHS coaches have moved to other locations.Ryan Ross has been named offensive coordinator on TedMilton’s McComb football staff. Doug Lucas, one year offensive linecoach at BHS, has moved to Wayne County where he joins MarcusBoyles and his staff.

In case you missed it, former Lawrence County head footballcoach Danny Adams has taken the job at Sylvester, Ga. Adamscoached three successful seasons at Lawrence County, winning theClass 4A state championship in 1999.

Adams was replaced by Trent Hammond at Lawrence County.Hammond had the privilege of serving as an assistant on the 1999LCHS staff and then moving to McComb where he helped Lee Bramlett.direct the Tigers to the Class 4A state title lastDecember.

At Copiah-Lincoln Community College, DavePoinsett, from South Carolina, has been named offensiveline coach. Former Co-Lin defensive coordinator DaveCross was named head coach last December.