Hiring of Kentucky High School Coach Questioned

I have noticed here at Bleacher report that high school basketball is not mentioned or read often but this story has to be told.

A travesty has occurred that has hit close to home at the high school I graduated from.

Muhlenberg county lies in the middle of western Kentucky and like everywhere in Kentucky, basketball is discussed in the same breath as the economy.

In 1991, seven Muhlenberg county high schools were consolidated into Muhlenberg North and South high schools. Each school over the years developed it's own traditions and personality.

Beginning in the fall of this year, 2009, North and South will become one high school.

For the last 15 seasons it's basketball program has been coached by Steve Sparks who accumulated 13 district championships, three regional championships, and a coaching record of 305-108 record.

He WAS NOT selected as the new basketball coach of the Muhlenberg County Mustangs!

Instead county school superintendent Dale Todd  and school board of directors went with what can only be said is the flash and name recognition of a former University of Kentucky basketball player.

That player is Reggie Warford.

Yes he has experience. He played on the 1975 Kentucky team who were runner up for the national championship and captain of the 1976 NIT championship team. He was an assistant coach at multiple small colleges and has a 17-28 record coaching two at two private high schools in Pittsburgh. Ha also had a small stint with the Harlem Globetrotters.

An impressive resume but as many would agree high school basketball is a much different world than college basketball and his 17-28 private school record doesn't come close to sparks record.

What is not being discussed enough is that Reggie Warford and the present school superintendent played basketball together at Drakesboro high school which was one of the schools consolidated in 1991.

In my opinion along with many others in my community feel that the hiring of Reggie Warford over Sparks was made by personnel preferences and should be investigated by the Kentucky High School Athletics Association(KSHAA).

The new football coach at the new high school only has one to two years of head coaching experience at Muhlenberg South makes Walford's hiring even more questionable.