Prep Notebook: Nettleton hires Kuhl for girls hoops
Jun. 17—Brent Kuhl is the new head coach for the Nettleton girls basketball program.
Kuhl, whose hire was approved Tuesday afternoon, replaces Shane Hayles. Hayles left Nettleton after four seasons and was named the head coach of Mantachie's boys on June 7.
"It's just a great opportunity to work at a bigger program, and take a step up in my career and kind of get out of my comfort zone," said Kuhl.
Kuhl has been the head coach of Hickory Flat's girls for the past six years, leading the Lady Rebels to a 109-66 record, five-straight playoff berths, and back-to-back Class 1A quarterfinals appearances in 2019 and 2020. He also coached the boys at Hickory Flat for four years.
"I loved my time at Hickory Flat," Kuhl said. "I had a bunch of great kids there that bought in and made for some good teams."
The Lady Tigers held their first official practice with their new head coach on Wednesday morning, and Kuhl walked away impressed with the potential outlook for next season.
"We have three really good seniors that are not only great basketball players, but I can already tell they're great leaders as well," said Kuhl. "I've got a good core of young players coming up. There's just a ton of skill on this team."
Collier adjusting
After spending 21 years at Mantachie, Scott Collier has quite the adjustment to make.
In late May, Collier was named head boys and girls basketball coach at Tupelo Christian. He's spent June darting back and forth to summer league games while trying to get to know his new players.
"You get used to seeing them grow into your program," Collier said of his time at Mantachie. "You get to know them and know what you've got to work on. But here I'm starting all over. But it's a good group, boys and girls."
The girls certainly have a promising group. Returnees like Millie Speed and Jasmine Steinman are joined by Sydney Carter, a Pine Grove transfer.
Carter, a rising senior, gives TCPS an athletic post player who can score from different spots on the floor.
"She runs the floor good, just a good body inside," Collier said. "Just got to be able to get her to score inside."
MAC Hall induction
The Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame will induct a new class this weekend.
The five-member class was originally supposed to be honored last summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the ceremony. The induction and awards banquet will be held Friday at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson.
The honorees include the late Danny Carlisle, who coached Starkville's baseball program from 1984-2012. Carlisle had a record of 571-252 and won three Class 5A state titles.
Former Mantachie football coach Bill Ward is also in the class. He coached the Mustangs from 1979-81 and also coached the girls basketball team. He later won a football title at Pelahatchie.
The other 2021 inductees are Mike Gavin, who coached football at the high school and junior college levels; Don Hinton, a former football and baseball coach who recently retired as executive director of the MHSAA; and Anthony Jenkins, a longtime football, track and powerlifting coach at Hernando.
