SEMO sidelines will have plenty of new faces next season

~ Five of the SEMO Conference's 11 schools have made coaching changes since the 2005-06 season ended.

Coaches in the 10-team SEMO boys basketball conference often call it one of the most competitive leagues in the state.

Results have backed up those claims, with multiple teams making the state final four in each of the past three seasons.

While the play has stayed at a consistently high level, the faces along the sidelines are changing faster than ever. Five of the 11 SEMO Conference schools will have new coaches for 2006-07.

"I don't recall seeing as much turnover in Southeast Missouri as we've seen this year," Central coach Derek McCord said.

Added Notre Dame coach Paul Hale: "I know it's a good conference, and I'm sure they had good hires. Coaching's a funny business. You're going to have turnover there. It just hit the SEMO Conference this year."

Poplar Bluff and New Madrid County Central both will have a different coaches for the third straight seasons.

After John David Pattillo guided Poplar Bluff to its second straight state title in 2004-05, Travis Brown guided the program for one season. The Mules were eliminated in the sectional round of the Class 5 state playoffs.

New Madrid County coach Lennies McFerren, who returned to the bench in a pinch-hitting role when the school could not find a coach for 2005-06 season, stepped down to become the principal at Scott County Central.

"The bad side of coaching changes is you lose stability, but the good thing about coaching changes in most schools is there's a lot of excitement," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "From an opposing coach's standpoint, I don't know if it's a positive or a negative. It just depends on the situation."

Dexter, Kennett and Caruthersville also will have new coaches after disappointing seasons. Caruthersville is another school with heavy turnover lately, with its second coaching change in the past two years.

"I thought all the coaches we had were good coaches," Hale said.

While some of the former SEMO Conference coaches have moved on to different coaching positions, some have left the coaching profession all together.

McCord said the decision to leave the profession is becoming more common.

"I think the profession itself is getting tougher and tougher," McCord said. "I think the days where coaches stay in the profession for 20 or 30 years, I don't think that will be as prevalent."

Former Kennett coach Sam Weaver took an interesting route to his new job. Weaver left the Kennett post for the head coaching position at Cairo (Ill.), but soon after accepted the head coaching position at NCAA Division II Henderson State.

Perhaps the most noteworthy SEMO coaching hire went to Poplar Bluff, which tagged former Charleston star Lamont Frazier its new coach. Frazier, who helped Charleston bring home several state titles before playing college ball at the University of Missouri, is considered one of the top players to come out of Southeast Missouri.

Inaugural tourney

Along the many coaching changes within the conference, another development for next season will be the inaugural SEMO Conference tournament. The tournament will be played in early December at Sikeston, which currently is slated to be the site each year.

"I think it's long overdue," McCord said. "I think it's something we've needed to do for a while. I'd like to see it get rotated around."

The tournament could be wide open next year with key departures on nearly all of the top teams. Sikeston, the runner-up in Class 4, and Charleston, the runner-up in Class 3, likely will be the favorites.

"I'm excited," Scott said. "People can see a lot of great games, especially those last two nights of the tournament. There's just so many good matchups."

"It will be a dog fight," said Hale, whose team was unbeaten in conference play last year but lost to Sikeston in the Class 4 district final. "I just wish it was a little later in the year to get better seedings."

SEMO Conference Coaching changes:

School former coach current coach

Poplar Bluff Travis Brown Lamont Frazier

Kennett Sam Weaver Jim Vaughan

Dexter Eric Sitze Chris Trimmer

NMCC Lennies McFerren Travis Day

Caruthersville Rob Harlow --

Returning coaches:

Central -- Derek McCord

Jackson -- Darrin Scott

Notre Dame -- Paul Hale

Charleston -- Danny Farmer

Sikeston -- Gregg Holifield

Other Southeast Missouri coaching changes

School former coach current coach

Oran Jason Andrews Denver Stuckey

Doniphan Shawn Gibbs Jason Andrews

Twin Rivers Jim Vaughan Rob Brown

Richland Jeff Jennewein Casey Knight

Bernie Morris Karnes Brad Botsch

East Prairie Jason Irby --