[grassynole]

Sounds crazy.

[buckets]

You could be correct and it wouldn't shock me BUT i don't think the parent wants the job. He wants to call the shots and could possible be an assistant but doesn't want to be Head Man. However, with a direct line to Mr. J. I just don't see him having to interview if he really wants the job! JMHO???????????????

I would say you are probably right. From what I gather they had three applicants. Of course Akal, the parent, and the assistant coach Brock. Either way they will get their way.

[FIRST]

This thread is starting to heat up just a little. Has the assistant Brock been with the team for several years? If so they should just give him the job.

[Bear_Paw]

Um....I think it's very safe to assume they had more than three applicants...lol.

[Tobin Frost]

When will the new coach be selected and announced?

[Tobin Frost]

All set in Harlan County?

Harlan County Sports: Basketball: Jones steps down as HCHS basketball coach
Wednesday, May 16
Jones steps down as HCHS basketball coach

By JOHN HENSON

Harlan County Sports.com

After watching his Harlan County Black Bears increase their win total in each of his four years as boys basketball coach at Harlan County High School, Mike Jones has apparently decided to step down with his team expected to be ranked first heading into the 2012-2013 season.

Sources indicated that Jones turned in his resignation on Tuesday and the job was posted at the Harlan County Schools Central Office on Wednesday

Jones ranks among the state's top coaches with a record of 574-231 in 26 seasons as a head coach in stops at Cawood, Jackson County, Todd Central, Harlan, Clay County and Harlan County. With a record of 369-128 at three Harlan County schools, Jones appears to be the all-time leader in wins in the county. Joe Gilly won 310 games in the 1940s and 1950s at Harlan.

Jones was not available for comment on Wednesday.

A 1970 Clay County graduate who went on to play at Cumberland College, Jones began his high school coaching career in the fall of 1980 at Cawood High School. He was an assistant for three years under Kirk Chiles. The 1981 team was led by Kentucky Mr. Basketball Phil Cox and finished as 13th Region runner-up to Clay County.

The 1983 team was a senior-dominated squad featuring David Hensley, Everly Eads, Kevin Hatfield, Tony Sanford and Keith Hensley. The Trojans knocked off Clay County in the regional semifinals but lost in overtime to Middlesboro in the regional finals.

Jones was one of the busiest coaches in the state during that time as he took over the Cawood girls program in the 1982 and 1983 seasons, leading the Trojanettes to 49 wins, district titles both years and a regional runner-up finish in 1983 while still helping Chiles with the boys team and coaching the freshman and junior varsity squads.

When Chiles left after the 1983 season, Jones took over as head coach. The Trojans were among the region's top teams all four years Jones was there and lost another heartbreaker to Clay County in the 1986 regional finals when all-state forward Nick Sanford starred for the Trojans before going on to an All-American career at Lincoln Memorial University.

Jones left Cawood after the 1987 season and spent three years at Jackson County. The Generals quickly improved under Jones but could not break Clay County's stranglehold on the 49th District and finished second all three seasons.

He moved on to Todd Central in Western Kentucky for one year and led his team to the 4th Region semifinals, but he was soon on his way back to Harlan County where Harlan was building a basketball powerhouse.

In what was almost a perfect storm of talent, coaching and community support, the Dragons became a state contender in only two years. After being upset by Evarts in the first round of the 52nd District Tournament in Jones' first season, the Dragons moved to the top of the 13th Region in his second season of 1993. The Dragons lost to Cumberland in the district finals that season and had to run the table against Bell County, Clay County and Corbin in the regional tournament to earn the first trip to the state tournament for a Harlan County team in 24 years.

The 1993 team featured four future all-staters, guards Charles Thomas, Michael Jones and Casey Lester and center Todd Cox.

The 1994 team may have been Jones' best, but the Dragons were upset by Clay County in the regional semifinals at Clay County in the last game of Michael Jones' career.

WIth Thomas, Cox and Lester leading the way, Harlan was among the state's top teams in 1995 and won another regional title and advanced to the state semifinals before falling to Pleasure Ridge Park. Thomas and Cox were members of the Kentucky All-Star team that summer and Thomas earned Mr. Basketball honors.

Harlan won its third regional title in four years in 1996 with Lester, Nathan Blanton and Jeremy Simpson providing senior leadership in a lineup that also included junior Joel Kauffman and freshman Kyle Jones, the youngest son of the Harlan coach.

Harlan won All "A" Classic state titles in both 1994 and 1995 and captured district titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999 under Jones. The 1999 squad made it back to the regional finals before falling to Clay County in Bobby Keith's last year as coach.

Jones returned home to Clay County in the summer of 1999 to take over for Keith. He led Clay back to the state tournament in 2001 as the Tigers fell in the quarterfinals to Russellville. In six years at Clay, Jones led Clay to five district titles and two regional runner-up finishes.

After the 2005 season, Jones decided to leave coaching and returned to Harlan County where he served two years as an assistant principal and then took over as principal the 2007-08 school year, the final year before consolidation brought together Cawood, Cumberland and Evarts to form Harlan County High School.

Jones was selected as the first boys basketball coach at HCHS and led the Black Bears to a 79-41 mark in four years, including four trips to the regional tournament and a district championship in 2010. The Bears improved each year, going from 13-15 in 2009 to 19-10 in 2010, 20-10 in 2011 and 27-6 last year.

With four starters and all their key reserves returning, including an unbeaten freshman team that won the regional title and a 16-1 junior varsity squad, the Bears will likely be ranked No. 1 in the 13th Region when the preseason polls come out next fall.

[Yogibear]

When will the new coach be selected and announced?

Soon.

[Mountain pride 10]

Well well well, seems as if me and my boy B Paw knew a little something now don't it boys.

[Yogibear]

Well well well, seems as if me and my boy B Paw knew a little something now don't it boys.

? You said things were going to get wild so to speak. It won't. It is already set in stone. Like I posted before.

[buckets]

Rumor has it: David Parks new coach!!!

[FIRST]

Dave Parks? Did he coach in Harlan Co. several years ago?

[Tobin Frost]

Parks makes good sense. Did not expect someone at his stage of the game to want to get back in the mess of administration and parents, but definitely knows his basketball, and he allows Akal to stay with girls, so two good coaches instead of one and a maybe.

If true, congratulations.

[Yogibear]

Parks makes good sense. Did not expect someone at his stage of the game to want to get back in the mess of administration and parents, but definitely knows his basketball, and he allows Akal to stay with girls, so two good coaches instead of one and a maybe.

If true, congratulations.

I may be wrong but I am pretty sure D. Akal did not go there to coach girl's basketball the rest of his life.

[Tobin Frost]

I may be wrong but I am pretty sure D. Akal did not go there to coach girl's basketball the rest of his life.

Heard that two years ago and agree, but isn't he a local sheriff's deputy? If Parks is in, and Nolan has county girls and little Jones gets county boys, Akal either keeps coaching girls or leaves town to coach at all. I would think the school knows that too.

[Ballher]

This talk that Akal was "the plan" for the boys coach all along is TOO FUNNY!! I mean, really??? So what you are saying is Harlan Independent pushed Casey Lester out of his job to put Akal in place THEN sought out Tommy Hensley from Georgia, ask him to leave his family, not to mention his daughter during her SENIOR year of high school, stay for one year then resign so Akal could be the new boys head coach. Tommy agreed to go through all that trouble just so Derrick Akal could be the new coach?? CRAZY!!!

[wildone89]

Parks makes good sense. Did not expect someone at his stage of the game to want to get back in the mess of administration and parents, but definitely knows his basketball, and he allows Akal to stay with girls, so two good coaches instead of one and a maybe.

If true, congratulations.

Good Coach agree! Good choice only time will tell? Why would D.P. want the job? It is hard to coach your kid if you have been the coach and they come through the system. I would think it will be even harder to get a job to coach your kids? Kids and parents aren't the same as 15 years ago.

How will the girls feel now that they know their coach wanted to be somewhere else? Only time will tell!

[wildone89]

This county has had more to talk about the last week than years combined. Good Luck to David Parks, Akal , Coach Jones, Coach Jones and Nolan. Good Basketball to follow!

[Tobin Frost]

Parks is official.

[Mountain pride 10]

Dave Parks is a great hire as he is one of the best teachers of the game in this part of the state. He will be under no pressure at all other than what he self imposes, given the fact that the program has dropped down below where it was 10-15 years ago. If the Dragons are able to hold on to Coach Akal as the girls coach they have as good a group of coaches as just about any school could hope to have.

[FIRST]

Congrats to Coach Parks. Do you guys believe this could cause problems with the girls team?

[wildone89]

Congrats to Coach Parks. Do you guys believe this could cause problems with the girls team?

YOU THINK????????? This hire could hurt both teams bad. Players leaving the boys team and a Coach leaving the girls team????????????????

[buckets]

YOU THINK????????? This hire could hurt both teams bad. Players leaving the boys team and a Coach leaving the girls team????????????????

I have heard a rumor a couple of boys players were not going to play because of the hire. Also, the hire will be there while his boys are playing then they will be looking for another coach in five years.

[hitemup]

Any time that you hire a parent as a head coach, there will be some problems. But then again, Mike Jones was pretty successful with Michael when he was hired. Granted, that is a totally different situation. That was when Harlan had the best recruiter in the state...Jerry Blanton.

[wildone89]

This talk that Akal was "the plan" for the boys coach all along is TOO FUNNY!! I mean, really??? So what you are saying is Harlan Independent pushed Casey Lester out of his job to put Akal in place THEN sought out Tommy Hensley from Georgia, ask him to leave his family, not to mention his daughter during her SENIOR year of high school, stay for one year then resign so Akal could be the new boys head coach. Tommy agreed to go through all that trouble just so Derrick Akal could be the new coach?? CRAZY!!!

Been hiding under a rock? Akal needed 1 more yr because they had the potential to have a good yr in girls ball. Hensley just applied like several others did and just so happened to get the job. If Hensley wanted to stay they would of switched the two plus a.d. Duties but Hensley decided to go back home? Job was Akal's until ( well you know the rest). You can spin it any way you want to but for the truth ask Akal yourself! I bet Akal want trust the a.d. At that school again!

[rojas]

YOU THINK????????? This hire could hurt both teams bad. Players leaving the boys team and a Coach leaving the girls team????????????????

I don't know how in the world this could hurt the boys team. The HHS boys team I saw the past season may be about the worst HHS team that I have seen since the 1975-76 season.

[rojas]

Any time that you hire a parent as a head coach, there will be some problems.

Adolph Rupp, Al McGuire, Mike Jones, Billy Hicks, Dudley Hilton, etc... Just think, how successful these coaches could have been if they hadn't coached their sons.

[rojas]

Been hiding under a rock? Akal needed 1 more yr because they had the potential to have a good yr in girls ball. Hensley just applied like several others did and just so happened to get the job. If Hensley wanted to stay they would of switched the two plus a.d. Duties but Hensley decided to go back home? Job was Akal's until ( well you know the rest). You can spin it any way you want to but for the truth ask Akal yourself! I bet Akal want trust the a.d. At that school again!

If you are correct, this promise should have never happened. No position should ever be promised to anyone before it is advertised. Then the best applicant for the position should be hired. I think this is what happened at HHS.

[Tobin Frost]

Have to agree with Rojas. Parks doesn't have to be Rupp, just win more than 8 to not "hurt" the program. He is more than capable of that, and his son (who was really good at the camp I witnessed) will help that process, not hurt it. After that, all of this will be forgotten. "Winning is the great deodorant", as they say on TV, and the program will smell better with Parks and the players coming up over the next few years.

[Bear_Paw]

Are you suggesting that something stunk about this process?

[Tobin Frost]

Actually, I lean toward the side that believes 'it is what it is'...no conspiracy, no stink, right man for the job of the applicants at this time. The smell to which I referred was just the overall level of the program in recent years, and last year in particular.