New coaches are in at Advance and Portageville

Both Advance and Portageville have chosen new coaches to head up their boys basketball programs.

At Advance, Risco grad and former all-state basketball player Andrew Halford was approved this week as the new varsity basketball coach. Halford will graduate in May with a physical education degree from Hannibal-LaGrange. He replaces Josh Dowdy, who left the position in March.

At Portageville, coach Jim Bidewell announced his resignation at a school board meeting this week and will leave the position he's held for 28 seasons. Assistant coach Jason Irby will take over the program as its head coach.

Bidewell, who will remain as assistant principal at the high school, leaves his job as the dean of Southeast Missouri basketball coaches. He led the Bulldogs to five state titles, including four in a row from 1991 to 1994 and then again in 2009. He was inducted into the state basketball coaches hall of fame in 2006.

As Portageville's coach since 1982, Bidewell had the longest continuous role as a varsity boys head coach in Southeast Missouri history, three years more than retired Scott County Central coach Ronnie Cookson.

Bidewell won more than 500 games at Portgeville and averaged more than 21 wins each year. The Bulldogs were unbeaten in 1991 and '93, and only two of his teams finished below .500.

Irby brings several years of experience into his role as Bidewell's successor, including seven seasons as head coach at East Prairie. He coached the Eagles to 18 wins in 2005, which at the time was the most for the program since 1986.