BlackNGold, Groundattack and others on here who seem to have some knowledge of the goings on there, please correct me if I've stuck a foot in my mouth. It's certainly not the first time (today lol) that I've done that.

..and, they will get a coach that knows ball.

BlackNGold, Groundattack and others on here who seem to have some knowledge of the goings on there, please correct me if I've stuck a foot in my mouth. It's certainly not the first time (today lol) that I've done that.

 

You are dead on HD.

 

They also need a coach who will keep the locker room in check.

The Mercer County Girls basketball team going to the Sweet 16 stalled the process a little bit. While I'm not saying they need to rush into a hire I do think they better hurry up before some great opportunities get snatched up elsewhere.

Congrats to Dennis Johnson getting the Woodford County job. I guess they weren't too concerned about his lack of experience. I wish Dennis nothing but success. Hope for Mercer's sake this doesn't add to the long list of opportunities missed for example having Chuck Smith and Larry French on the same coaching staff and letting them both walk out the door. I hope they offered Dennis and he said no rather than Mercer not offering at all. Wait until you see his staff at Woodford I am sure it will be amazing.

Congrats to Dennis Johnson getting the Woodford County job. I guess they weren't too concerned about his lack of experience. I wish Dennis nothing but success. Hope for Mercer's sake this doesn't add to the long list of opportunities missed for example having Chuck Smith and Larry French on the same coaching staff and letting them both walk out the door. I hope they offered Dennis and he said no rather than Mercer not offering at all. Wait until you see his staff at Woodford I am sure it will be amazing.

 

I am sure his staff will have plenty of names (former college players, and what-not), but that doesn't always mean they can coach. I wish him the best at Woodford, but Mercer needs someone with experience guiding that program, right now, IMO. It is hard enough to coach at home, but when it is you first head coaching job and "home" is already facing some fractures in the fan base, that just makes for a poison cocktail a lot of times. Probably better for Coach Johnson to cut his teeth elsewhere.

Harry you said it pretty well. I also want to congratulate Dennis. I am sure he will assemble a nice staff. I am glad he got his chance at Woodford, mercer would have been a tough place to start your head coaching career.

Well is David going to Mercer? Cant

Well is David going to Mercer? Cant

 

You would think so, considering how long the process has taken at Mercer, but I would assume he has been their first call the last couple of times... Hasn't gone to Mercer, yet.

Whoever they hire needs time to teach his assistant coaches the offensive / defensive system he plans to install and the techniques / reads he wants taught. Ideally, this would need to be done BEFORE spring practice. To some degree, fundamentals are fundamentals, but techniques and reads vary some according to what type of system you're running. If all of the assistant coaches have to stand and watch, along with the players, while the new guy does all the teaching, spring practice (and even summer workouts) won't be as effective as they could be.

Does anybody know what is going on at Mercer and why it is taking them so long to make a hire. It seems to me that Buchanan would be a very good hire for them but like someone else said, he hasn't said yes yet. It seems every time this job is open it's his to say no to.

 

I am also glad to see Dennis Johnson get his opportunity at Woodford. He was a great player in high school and UK. Use to love watching the energy he played with. If he has the same enthusiasm as a coach, I believe he will do an excellent job there. Mercer would be tough for him being his first job for anybody.

 

What I don't understand is why wouldn't they go after another Harrodsburg/Mercer County guy. For example, why would put some effort into trying to get a guy like Yeast to come back home. I hear he is pretty successful in Ohio and also hear his son is a really good sophomore with multiple DI offers and a very good baseball player. I am not sure but isn't his wife from Danville? I would think that he would know the community and the presence to build Mercer's program. Can anyone confirm any of the information?

Does anybody know what is going on at Mercer and why it is taking them so long to make a hire. It seems to me that Buchanan would be a very good hire for them but like someone else said, he hasn't said yes yet. It seems every time this job is open it's his to say no to.

 

I am also glad to see Dennis Johnson get his opportunity at Woodford. He was a great player in high school and UK. Use to love watching the energy he played with. If he has the same enthusiasm as a coach, I believe he will do an excellent job there. Mercer would be tough for him being his first job for anybody.

 

What I don't understand is why wouldn't they go after another Harrodsburg/Mercer County guy. For example, why would put some effort into trying to get a guy like Yeast to come back home. I hear he is pretty successful in Ohio and also hear his son is a really good sophomore with multiple DI offers and a very good baseball player. I am not sure but isn't his wife from Danville? I would think that he would know the community and the presence to build Mercer's program. Can anyone confirm any of the information?

 

I heard he put in for the job but Mercer County needs someone who is going to stick around for a long time. Craig Yeast has proven to be a nomad when it comes to coaching and Mercer County is in desperate need of stability. I'm not sold he can provide the stability that Mercer County needs. Seems like he'd take off as soon as his son graduated.

No one can ever take a job and say they are 100% sure they will not leave. I think it is a pipe dream to think in today's world any coach will stay around like they did 30 years ago. With the way parents and admin are today.

No one can ever take a job and say they are 100% sure they will not leave. I think it is a pipe dream to think in today's world any coach will stay around like they did 30 years ago. With the way parents and admin are today.

 

I understand that. My math says Craig Yeast has coached at 6 different places in the last 7 years. Three of those schools were in the area as well. Four area schools if you include his short time at Danville. I get that no one can guarantee they will stay but regardless of where Craig Yeast coaches at in the immediate future I expect him to be on the staff of wherever his son ends up playing college football at in two years.

Thanks for your insight Purple. I say you have a good point. Do you know the guy personally? I done a small bit of digging and stumbled on a somewhat friend of mine that coached with Yeast a few years back and they keep in touch often. I put in a call to him and he had some interesting things to say.

 

He said those that do not know really know Craig have it all wrong about him. Said lots of people think they do but they don't. Said Yeast would love to go back home because that's where all his and his wife's family is but he did not apply for the Mercer job. Told me, Yeast went to coach college but if had to do over would have stayed at Bryan Station but that was the decision he made at the time. Said he left that program in MUCH better shape than the way he found it. Also said there was much more to it and stated you have to know the full story! Yeast has No intentions of ever leaving high school again to take a college job. High school is where he wants to be and will be until retirement. Said he loves where he is and having a ball coaching his son. Following him after he graduates is completely out of question. Where he is now he has lots of support from the administration, community, small college type facilities, and the competition is very high quality. Also Yeast has repeatedly made it very clear to him that his son and daughter who is in 7th grade will graduate from the same high school and there will be absolutely no exceptions! He added that his daughter won some kind indoor 200 meter track national championship.

 

Lastly, he took his team to playoffs for first time in 5 years which making playoffs in Ohio is very difficult to do because you have to make it, 2nd place finish in their conference to a team that won the state championship, and said what Yeast considers to be most important,8 players signed to play college football. 5 of the 7 got D2 athletic scholarships.

 

I thought this was some pretty good stuff that I thought I would share. I don't know much about the Mercer situation, wondering who they are going to hire and hope they get it right for their sake. Regardless of the situation or even the past, I would think Yeast would be a person of interest for Mercer. The guy has something about him that allows him to get the most out of his teams. That's my take on it. Good luck to Mercer I believe they are going to need it moving forward.