The Logan County Board of Education has approved the addition of volleyball teams for girls in the five middle schools.
The teams will practice and play at the same time the high school volleyball does, meaning their seasons will be over in time for the same girls to try out for their school basketball teams.
Girls haven't been able to do both at LCHS, since high school basketball players start conditioning long before practice officially begins.
Middle schools, however, have a rule that basketball tryouts can't begin until football is over, which is in place primarily to keep football guys from being left out of basketball plans. Logan doesn't need to do anything else to draw prospective players away from football.
Anyway, girls are going to be able to play volleyball while boys are playing football, which is also great for those Title IX equality tally sheets.
Meanwhile it will make the volleyball program even stronger at the high school. That's saying a lot, since the Lady Cougars went 30-8 and won the district championship this year in only their second season of existence.
Cougar football is rebuilding, Lady Cougar basketball got off to a 1-and-December start, and boys basketball lost its last 11 games. Volleyball, however, was a joy to behold.
"We're learning that the great programs have strong feeder programs," says Steven Lyne, one of the volleyball coaches. "When we won a game at region against Apollo but then were blown out in the third game of the match, the coaches told us not to be upset, that their girls have played together for eight years.
"We're having to teach our players the game when they're freshmen. This will give us a big head start."
Lyne was talking during a lunch he and fellow coaches Rob Imlay and Buddy Wright invited me to, so that they could spread a little more of the volleyball story.
This trio is so sold on volleyball that they have become more than just coaches of the Lady Cougar program. They're also in charge of public relations and enthusiasm building.
All three have other jobs. Lyne, a 1988 graduate of LCHS, farms with his family. Imlay, a 1991 alumnus of Russellville High School, works at Logan Aluminum. Wright, who graduated from RHS two years later, works at Ventra Plastics.
Steve played on his college's volleyball team in Florida. All three have played on very competitive recreation teams here.
"When I learned that Logan was starting a program and looking for coaches, I called Steve to suggest we apply," Rob says. "The line was busy because he was calling me about the same thing."
Those two have done most of the instructing the first two years. Wright joined them this year. Tina Phelps, a professional educator who had coaching experience but knew little about volleyball, is officially the head coach. She's the administrator; they're the tacticians. It's been a great combination.
Now Phelps is coaching softball, but her trio of assistants is coordinating the middle school concept. They've helped line up coaches for each school. Now they plan to meet with fourth through eighth grade girls at the schools as soon as spring break is over.
They want to talk with eighth graders about playing in high school. The fourth through seventh graders will get a chance to be part of the first teams at their schools next year as fifth through eighth graders.
The meetings will be at Olmstead Monday, April 8, at 2:40 p.m. Then its on to Auburn April 10 at 2:40, Lewisburg April 11 at 2:40, Adairville April 12 at 12:30 and Chandlers April 30 at 2:30.
Don't be deceived by the late date at Chandlers. The dean of middle school girls basketball coaches, Stanley Fleming, is excited about the volleyball program. He'll be attacking it with the same enthusiasm that's made the Lady Bears consistent winners.
The coaches will also be telling the girls about a camp that's planned June 13-15. The same instructor who helped the high school girls last year will be back.
"We hope the girls' families in both high school and middle school will plan their vacations so they don't conflict with that camp. He's a great instructor," Lyne says.
The coaches also say they're not going to leave the new middle school coaches stranded during the season, that they'll be at middle school practices and matches whenever possible to lend help and encouragement.
"More colleges are offering scholarships in volleyball now than ever before," Lyne says. "This could be the start of something really important in these girls lives."
Speaking of camps, both high schools' baseball camps for youngsters will be next week.
The LCHS Baseball Camp will be Monday for ages 7-13. The $10 fee includes lunch. It will be at the LCHS baseball field from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
The RHS Baseball Camp, for ages under 12 and under, will be Monday through Wednesday. The $25 fee for three days includes a cap. It will be at the lower field at City County Park from 10-11:30 a.m. each day.
Add these names to basketball coaching possibilities:
LCHS Assistant Coach Kevin Radford would welcome a chance to be a head high school coach. He ran a successful program while he was at Auburn.
Greg Bibb, son of RHS graduate Carl Bibb and a former Todd Central and Tennessee Tech star, would like to get a head coaching job in this area. I hear he's especially interested in Franklin-Simpson, which is open, and in his alma mater, should Coach Dennis Pardue move on.
Several sources tell me that Franklin-Simpson girls coach David Clark will get first chance to move over to the boys job if he so chooses. Greg Shelton has resigned as boys basketball coach at F-S.
One person who has been mentioned as his successor in the Lady Cats program is former Lady Panther Coach Bob Matthews, who is retired and living in his native Franklin. He had outstanding stints as coach at both F-S and RHS.
Franklin is one of the best places anywhere to coach because of the way that community has intense single focus in supporting its athletes and programs.
The rebuilding of the Logan County boys basketball team became much tougher this week.
Junior center Brandon Thomas suffered three breaks in his lower leg in a traffic accident Tuesday. A metal rod has been implanted in the leg, teammates said.
Coach Radford said Wednesday night that it will be August before Thomas may be able to resume basketball workouts.
The 6-5 Thomas is one of the only three Cougar underclassmen who saw extensive playing time this year.
The others were junior Kelley Jordan, who started, and freshman point guard Robbie Osborne.
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