How do you rile up a conference? Bring back David Heeb
He's proven he's a great coach and has the state championships to back it up. But David Heeb's return to Southeast Missouri is sure to stir up dust that took a long time to settle.
Heeb will return to Southeast Missouri in the fall as the boys basketball coach at Caruthersville, a program that's struggled with coaching changes and plenty of setbacks. The news of Heeb's hiring first appeared on SemoSportsWeb.com late Sunday, and it didn't take long to circulate on message boards and stir talk of Heeb's days at Bell City and Scott County Central.
He arrived at both schools during a time when their programs were stuck in mediocrity, and both turned around not long after he walked in the door. At Bell City, the Cubs hadn't won 20 games in a season since 1981, but Heeb turned out 29 wins in his second season. At Scott Central, the Braves never really found their rhythm since Ronnie Cookson's first retirement in 1995, but credit Heeb for getting the program back on solid footing.
But at both stops, Heeb was accused of recruiting athletes. He was suspended by the MSHSAA for half a season as a result.
Now Heeb heads into a familiar situation at Caruthersville, where five coaches have led the team in the past five seasons, all with disappointing results. The Tigers haven't had a winning season since Brian Brandtner left for Bell City (to replace Heeb) in early 2005.
Already this week, coaches in the Bootheel Conference have made recruiting jokes — they're only jokes, but rival coaches are surely wondering what to expect now that Heeb has joined their club.
If the Tigers start winning again — not unlikely, considering the team's freshman class is among the region's best — how long before the recruiting charges start? How long before the fingers point and the tongues wag?
And how long before a state championship?
3 comments:
Another interesting point is Heeb is now about 30 miles from another notorious "recruiter"....Derek McCord. They're going to be fighting over the same kids!
As shady as Heeb is he is no doubt a good coach. Caruthersville is loaded coming up so they were bound to start winning again no matter who was hired. But Heeb will bring structure and solidify things for a few years.
If my son was a basketball player, David Heeb would be on the short list of coaches I wanted him to play for.
At Cville, Heeb will be a small fish in a big pond. I'm sure it will not take long for recruitment accusations to follow but come on..how many other heads at that school will the kid have to go through before he even gets to Heeb. How many people will have to sign off on that kid to come to the school, to be eligible to play..all that happens before he ever steps in the gym. The administration, the athletic director all have control. Not Heeb.
David Heeb is a good coach. He is a hard worker and will be winning in no time.
Post a Comment