Former players turn into coaches

I missed Dual State this season for the first time in 20 years. Didn’t watch a single game. Turns out, I missed an opportunity to watch one of my favorite former players coach. I didn’t even know Mandy Rook was the girls coach at Sparkman.
She joined her brother Chad Rook, who is still the boys coach at Haynesville. Their dad, Arkadelphia coach Lynn Rook, came down to watch his kids. I’m not sure about Jeremy Rook. I think he’s still coaching at Ouachita but don’t quote me on that one.
That’s quite the family coaching tree. I remember watching all of the Rooks while they were at Norphlet.
It also makes for quite a large number of former Union County athletes who have gone into the coaching business. Most folks know about Union’s Justin Welch, who led Norphlet’s girls to their first state tournament in more than 20 years. He has the Lady Leopards ranked among the state’s top teams in Class 2A this season.
Parkers Chapel’s Jamie Ball is coaching at Strong this season. Union’s Sharonda Davis is ninth grade girls coach at El Dorado. Union’s John Thompson assists Welch and is head coach of the junior boys at Norphlet.
There are so many others. Norphlet’s Amy Kennedy was an assistant at Sheridan. Former El Dorado point guard Kristian Tester is the seventh grade coach at Chaffin in Fort Smith. Parkers Chapel’s Josh Layman is at Centerpoint coaching junior boys. The Knights were 12-6 before meeting Prescott for the conference title. Union’s Josh Smith is at Desoto Central, coaching senior high girls in Mississippi. He didn’t give me his record. Must not be great.
Parkers Chapel graduate Mikey Moss is having an experience and a half at Oark, one of the smallest public schools in Arkansas with 142 students in grades K-12.
Oark is apart of the Jasper School District and is located 22 miles north of Clarksville on Hwy. 215.
Moss head coaches all four teams. Oark’s senior boys are 3-16. The senior girls are 2-14. The junior boys are 3-16 and his junior girls were 3-10 at Christmas break before having to forfeit the rest of the season.
“This year my senior boys were able to win their first game as a program in nearly five seasons,” said Moss. “My senior girls won their first game in nearly eight seasons. I know it doesn't seem like much, but last year my overall record was like 4-82ish... with my junior boys being the only team to win games in the last 3-4 years.”
If adversity really does built character, I’d vote Mikey Moss for president. Well, maybe mayor.