Published: May 14, 2008 12:42 am            

North turns inward for new coach

The Norman North girls basketball team has a new coach.

Jeff Blough, who coached the North freshman boys team for six years and was the top assistant under Butch Roberts for the varsity boys, was named the new girls basketball coach during a special Norman Public Schools board meeting Monday night.

Blough teaches special education at North and led the freshman boys to a 97-19 record in over six seasons, including five straight Mid-State Conference titles. In 2007-2008, his team finished 11-9. Blough also helped the North boys varsity squad get to the state tournament in 2006.

“(Jeff) is as good as it gets,” North varsity coach Butch Roberts said. “He’s a players’ coach and a great teacher of the game.”

He will take over a struggling program.

The T-Wolves finished 6-17 last season, falling in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.

Coach Don VanPool resigned Feb. 24 after three years at the helm. North went 27-45 under VanPool.

“The No. 1 thing we have to do is get confidence and energy back into the program,” Blough said.

That’s why he’s starting immediately. He met with the team Tuesday afternoon and will begin coaching practices starting today.

“I’m jumping in with both feet,” Blough said. “I’m looking for a summer league already.”

The move to a head varsity coaching position is a big one for Blough. He saw it as a major opportunity and couldn’t pass it up. He was notified he had been selected to be the next coach Monday night.

“I jumped at it,” Blough said. “It won’t be a huge transition. It’s going to be different with things that I do drill-wise and scheme-wise, but it’s the same game.”

With the hiring of Blough, North gets the bonus of familiarity.

“That’s part of the transition,” Blough said. “I know the girls and they know me. I’ve coached a lot of their older brothers.”

The familiarity could help Blough infuse that confidence into the struggling program. VanPool’s first year, the T-Wolves were one controversial call away from the state tournament.

North returns three seniors, five juniors and two sophomores from last year’s squad.

“I know that we’re real young,” Blough said. “I know Mariah Turner’s going to be a big part of what we do. A bunch of those sophomores are going to be a big part of what we do. We also have three strong seniors.”

Blough will miss the North boys, but he’s more than happy to get started with the girls.

And having someone who the players know and have been around is something he’s banking on to make the coaching change go more smoothly.

“It’s an advantage, but it’s also a disadvantage,” Blough said. “I don’t want them to think it’s going to be easy for them just because they know me.”

Jeff Johncox

366-3535

jjohncox@normantranscript.com

        

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