[kywldcat01]

The following was in today's paper and is a pretty good read for both Holmes fans and SV/EKY fans:

Jason Booher left Eastern Kentucky on Monday afternoon, making the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Covington to tour his new facilities and meet with his new players. The former Shelby Valley boys' basketball coach, who will be introduced today as the new coach at Holmes, took time along the drive to answer some questions from Enquirer reporter Ryan Ernst:

Question: So, you're the new coach at Holmes. What do you know about Holmes basketball?

Answer: A lot of people think I'm from Eastern Kentucky, but I'm from North Hardin. I was on some pretty good teams in the early '90s and we came up and played in the Famous Recipe and that was my introduction to Holmes basketball. So I know about Dicky Beal and all the great coaches and all the tradition. Hopefully, we'll continue to that.

Q: What kind of stylistic changes can we expect?

A: We get after it in Eastern Kentucky. We press on defense and rip-and-run on offense. I've always been told if I could take the athletes at certain schools and play that style, they'd like to see that. I think Holmes is that kind of school. It should be interesting to implement.

Q: You're coming from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to the city of Covington. There probably aren't two more different parts of the state. Are you ready for the transition?

A: I told them in the interview that North Hardin is similar to Holmes, except bigger. When I coached at North Hardin we went to the final four. When I moved to the mountains they called me a city boy. They told me mountain kids were different. But we were able to have success in a community I didn't know and that didn't know me. Hopefully we can do the same thing here.

Q: How was today, telling your players?

A: It was a bittersweet thing. We had eight seniors. The only way to win it happily was to end it the way we did. They're moving on and I'm moving on. But that team will never be split up or be forgotten. We'll come back and celebrate what we did.

Q: Were you worried about being vilified down there? That community likes its basketball.

A: It's a mini Kentucky. They love their basketball. But the best thing you can do when you leave a job is have them be upset that you're leaving. You don't want them to be happy to see you go. It'll be a sad time; we shed some tears together. But in life, you set goals in life and try to achieve them. This was a goal of mine. Mostly, people were supportive.

Q: What will you do with the staff?

A: I have talked to Coach (John) Wimzie and I told him I want him on board. Even before I had the job, I had college coaches calling me and telling me I needed to keep him. When that happens, you know you're dealing with a special coach. He's on board and he wants to implement that fast-pace style with me.

Q: How many of these road trips are you planning on making before you move for good?

A: I'll be up there off and on, trying to build relationships. They've already committed to revamping the locker room facilities. At Shelby Valley we feel like we had the best facilities in the state. I'm excited to get started. And I'm an assistant coach on the Kentucky-Indiana All-Start team, so I'll be meeting with (CovCath coach and Kentucky All-Star coach) Mike Listerman. Two of my former players and two Holmes players - Ricardo Johnson and Elijah Pittman - are on the team, so I'll get the inside scoop from them.