04-19-2006, 05:12 PM
Tommy Huston, who has been a high school assistant boys' basketball coach in the city for more than 30 years, is the new head coach at Lexington Christian Academy.
"It's quite an opportunity, and I'm blessed to have it," said Huston, an assistant to LCA Coach Jason Seamands the last two seasons.
Seamands isn't leaving the Eagles. He is LCA's new girls' basketball coach.
A few weeks ago, after LCA fired girls' coach Donna Murphy, Seamands started thinking about making a career change.
"I felt ready for a new challenge, a different challenge," he said. "The hardest part was feeling guilty about leaving the boys."
So Seamands pitched the idea to Huston to try to get the boys' job.
"It was the farthest thing from my mind," Huston said. "I never would have done it without Jason's blessing.
"It was his choice."
Seamands said Huston, 60, deserved the chance to be a head coach. "He's sacrificed so much for so many people over the years.
"I wouldn't be taking this girls' job if he hadn't taken the boys' job."
Huston spent most of his coaching career at Lexington Catholic, serving more than three decades as an assistant under Tommy Starns, Danny Haney and Bart Flener.
Huston was the Knights' interim head coach during the 1979-80 season when Starns was sidelined due to illness. Huston also was co-head coach of the girls' team for a few years in the early 1990s while also assisting the boys' team.
He never got the itch to be a full-time head coach, he said, "because I worked under such great people, it made it a non-issue. They gave me so much responsibility and made me feel such a big part of things.
"Tommy Starns showed me that coaching can be fun, and not to take anything too seriously.
"Danny didn't treat me like an assistant, and Bart was a top-notch guy, too."
When Huston left Lexington Catholic after the 2004 season to join Seamands' staff at LCA, he wasn't sure what to expect.
"Actually I was scared to death," he said. "I didn't know how the kids would react to me, coming from their rival school.
"But they've been absolutely terrific to me, and Jason's been great to work with. LCA has a charming atmosphere, and I couldn't be more excited about my future there."
Seamands is excited, too.
He said he's heard that other coaches who've made the switch from boys' to girls' basketball "have no regrets. Six months from now I hope to say the same thing."
"It's quite an opportunity, and I'm blessed to have it," said Huston, an assistant to LCA Coach Jason Seamands the last two seasons.
Seamands isn't leaving the Eagles. He is LCA's new girls' basketball coach.
A few weeks ago, after LCA fired girls' coach Donna Murphy, Seamands started thinking about making a career change.
"I felt ready for a new challenge, a different challenge," he said. "The hardest part was feeling guilty about leaving the boys."
So Seamands pitched the idea to Huston to try to get the boys' job.
"It was the farthest thing from my mind," Huston said. "I never would have done it without Jason's blessing.
"It was his choice."
Seamands said Huston, 60, deserved the chance to be a head coach. "He's sacrificed so much for so many people over the years.
"I wouldn't be taking this girls' job if he hadn't taken the boys' job."
Huston spent most of his coaching career at Lexington Catholic, serving more than three decades as an assistant under Tommy Starns, Danny Haney and Bart Flener.
Huston was the Knights' interim head coach during the 1979-80 season when Starns was sidelined due to illness. Huston also was co-head coach of the girls' team for a few years in the early 1990s while also assisting the boys' team.
He never got the itch to be a full-time head coach, he said, "because I worked under such great people, it made it a non-issue. They gave me so much responsibility and made me feel such a big part of things.
"Tommy Starns showed me that coaching can be fun, and not to take anything too seriously.
"Danny didn't treat me like an assistant, and Bart was a top-notch guy, too."
When Huston left Lexington Catholic after the 2004 season to join Seamands' staff at LCA, he wasn't sure what to expect.
"Actually I was scared to death," he said. "I didn't know how the kids would react to me, coming from their rival school.
"But they've been absolutely terrific to me, and Jason's been great to work with. LCA has a charming atmosphere, and I couldn't be more excited about my future there."
Seamands is excited, too.
He said he's heard that other coaches who've made the switch from boys' to girls' basketball "have no regrets. Six months from now I hope to say the same thing."