06-10-2011, 07:34 PM
Greenup County High School's new boys basketball head coach has a reputation for building programs in Illinois.
On Thursday, GCHS announced the hiring of Jim Youngman to succeed Jeff Nickel, who resigned last month to pursue other teaching opportunities after a 17-10 season.
âJim Youngman is exactly what we were looking for to fill our vacant coaching position,â said Roger Newton, Greenup County district athletic director. âWe feel Greenup County has needed someone who is passionate about basketball and will put the time in to build a complete program for our district in grades K-12.â
Newton said Youngman will install a foundation that has been missing.
âHe will bring stability, discipline and professionalism to our program and have us competing at the highest levels each year,â Newton said.
Greenup County superintendent Steve Hall sees Youngman as an excellent fit for the school. He will serve as a Physical Education and Health teacher at GCHS.
âHe is a quality teacher, a quality coach and a quality person,â Hall said.
Youngman comes to Greenup County after coaching at Metamora Township High School in Metamora, Ill., since 2008. He rebuilt a program that had produced only 12 wins combined in the two years prior to his arrival.
Metamora finished 18-10 last season.
The 47-year-old began his head coaching career in 1994 by guiding DePue, a Class 1A school, to its first winning season in seven years.
Youngman also rebuilt high school programs in Illinois at Sullivan, Abingdon, Highland, Lanphier and Oregon.
At Abingdon, Youngman led both the boys basketball and girls softball teams to regional championships. He also coached Sullivan and Lanphier to regional basketball titles.
His overall coaching record is 247-153 in a 15-year coaching career.
âWe had a concern that he had moved around a lot,â Newton said. âJim and I had several good conversations. In this profession, you are always trying to improve yourself, have new challenges. I was convinced by him and his family they were ready to settle down for a while.â
Youngman's wife, Lynn, daughter Marissa, who will be a senior at GCHS, and son, A.J., an incoming seventh-grader, will join him at Greenup County. They hope to relocate to the area in July.
A.J. is a point guard and rising star. A 6-foot, 175-pounder who wears a size 14 shoe, he averaged 26 points last season and had several 20-rebound games.
A.J. made the Top 20 All-Star Game in the Grade 6-9 division at Rick Bolus' Blue-Chip Camp in 2010.
Greenup County's new coach comes highly recommended by Bolus, whose camp is ranked by USA Today as one of the top five in the country. Youngman, a former standout player at Iowa Wesleyan, has several years of experience as a shooting instructor at the Five Star Basketball Camp and Bolus' camp.
âI have been really impressed with Jim's coaching ability and his enthusiasm for the game of basketball,â Bolus said. âHe is the first member of the camp staff in the gym each morning and the last one to leave the gym in the evenings. He is a first-class coach and person.â
Said Youngman of Bolus: âI think he's high on me, and real high on my son.â
For all of his coaching background, Youngman is excited about his first head-coaching job in Kentucky. He will meet Greenup County players for the first time next week.
âI've been very impressed with Roger (Newton),â Youngman said. âI really respect him. Some people get it, and some don't. He really gets it, and the superintendent as well.
âIf I didn't feel there was really a commitment to wholesale changes, there's no way I would come across the country. We think Illinois is big in basketball, but it's unbelievable the love and passion that people in Kentucky have for the game.â
Youngman was recently honored with his selection to the Mid-Illini Conference âAll-Time Teamâ for his high school playing career. He averaged 22 points during his senior year to lead the conference.
http://dailyindependent.com/localsports/...nois-coach
On Thursday, GCHS announced the hiring of Jim Youngman to succeed Jeff Nickel, who resigned last month to pursue other teaching opportunities after a 17-10 season.
âJim Youngman is exactly what we were looking for to fill our vacant coaching position,â said Roger Newton, Greenup County district athletic director. âWe feel Greenup County has needed someone who is passionate about basketball and will put the time in to build a complete program for our district in grades K-12.â
Newton said Youngman will install a foundation that has been missing.
âHe will bring stability, discipline and professionalism to our program and have us competing at the highest levels each year,â Newton said.
Greenup County superintendent Steve Hall sees Youngman as an excellent fit for the school. He will serve as a Physical Education and Health teacher at GCHS.
âHe is a quality teacher, a quality coach and a quality person,â Hall said.
Youngman comes to Greenup County after coaching at Metamora Township High School in Metamora, Ill., since 2008. He rebuilt a program that had produced only 12 wins combined in the two years prior to his arrival.
Metamora finished 18-10 last season.
The 47-year-old began his head coaching career in 1994 by guiding DePue, a Class 1A school, to its first winning season in seven years.
Youngman also rebuilt high school programs in Illinois at Sullivan, Abingdon, Highland, Lanphier and Oregon.
At Abingdon, Youngman led both the boys basketball and girls softball teams to regional championships. He also coached Sullivan and Lanphier to regional basketball titles.
His overall coaching record is 247-153 in a 15-year coaching career.
âWe had a concern that he had moved around a lot,â Newton said. âJim and I had several good conversations. In this profession, you are always trying to improve yourself, have new challenges. I was convinced by him and his family they were ready to settle down for a while.â
Youngman's wife, Lynn, daughter Marissa, who will be a senior at GCHS, and son, A.J., an incoming seventh-grader, will join him at Greenup County. They hope to relocate to the area in July.
A.J. is a point guard and rising star. A 6-foot, 175-pounder who wears a size 14 shoe, he averaged 26 points last season and had several 20-rebound games.
A.J. made the Top 20 All-Star Game in the Grade 6-9 division at Rick Bolus' Blue-Chip Camp in 2010.
Greenup County's new coach comes highly recommended by Bolus, whose camp is ranked by USA Today as one of the top five in the country. Youngman, a former standout player at Iowa Wesleyan, has several years of experience as a shooting instructor at the Five Star Basketball Camp and Bolus' camp.
âI have been really impressed with Jim's coaching ability and his enthusiasm for the game of basketball,â Bolus said. âHe is the first member of the camp staff in the gym each morning and the last one to leave the gym in the evenings. He is a first-class coach and person.â
Said Youngman of Bolus: âI think he's high on me, and real high on my son.â
For all of his coaching background, Youngman is excited about his first head-coaching job in Kentucky. He will meet Greenup County players for the first time next week.
âI've been very impressed with Roger (Newton),â Youngman said. âI really respect him. Some people get it, and some don't. He really gets it, and the superintendent as well.
âIf I didn't feel there was really a commitment to wholesale changes, there's no way I would come across the country. We think Illinois is big in basketball, but it's unbelievable the love and passion that people in Kentucky have for the game.â
Youngman was recently honored with his selection to the Mid-Illini Conference âAll-Time Teamâ for his high school playing career. He averaged 22 points during his senior year to lead the conference.
http://dailyindependent.com/localsports/...nois-coach