Midgett leaves Central, plans to fill Jackson assistant role

After two years of coaching at Central High School, girls basketball and volleyball coach Sheila Midgett has resigned her positions to join the staff at Jackson High School next school year.

Midgett, who recently led her team to a 15-11 season in basketball, handed in her resignation this week to become a physical education teacher at Jackson. She also will be an assistant varsity basketball coach, pending school board approval.

If approved, Midgett will assist Sam Sides, recently promoted after the retirement of head coach Ron Cook.

"I loved it at Central. The administration has been great to me, and the kids have been great," Midgett said. "I went back and forth for a while trying to make my decision. I just felt for the betterment of my health and the stress level, it probably was the right move."

Midgett, who coached previously at Branson High School, was looking to get out of volleyball and had made those wishes known to the Central administration.

"When I first started talking with Jackson, it had to do with me having to coach volleyball," Midgett said. "That was the whole reason I was remotely interested."

Midgett coached volleyball for 16 years and had been an assistant coach in basketball for nine of those seasons.

"I think I was getting tired of being gone all the time and the stress of both of those together," she said.

Midgett was the third coach in three years in the volleyball program. The Tigers were 4-41 in her two seasons.

She led the basketball team to a 17-9 record her first year and saw her team reach the Class 5, District 1 championship game this season.

Midgett said a lack of player commitment to summer basketball programs also played a role in her decision to leave Central.

"We wanted them to commit to basketball in the summer, and it wasn't going in that direction," Midgett said.

Central athletic director Terry Kitchen said he was surprised by Midgett's resignation.

"We felt like she had two pretty good years," Kitchen said.

In Jackson, she'll work with one of the state's premier girls programs. The Indians have made seven final four appearance in the past 12 years.

"I think I'm going to enjoy being an assistant," Midgett said. "It takes lot of the pressure off you."

Kitchen said the school will begin accepting applications for the openings. He said Central would not necessarily look for one person to coach both sports.

"We'd love to find an individual who could coach volleyball and basketball and do a good job," Kitchen said.

He added that coaching both sports can be difficult since they overlap.

"We'll probably look for someone really strong in basketball," Kitchen said.

jbreer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 124