By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Marty Rankin has been named interim head coach of the Holy Cross girls basketball team for the 2018-19 season to fill the vacancy left by Jerry Allen, who resigned less than three months after being hired for the position.
Anne Julian, the high school’s athletic director, said a team meeting was held Monday evening to inform the Holy Cross players of the coaching change.
Rankin was an assistant on the Holy Cross coaching staff the last three years. He is a paraprofessional coach who does not teach at the school.
“It is never easy for paraprofessionals to devote the time it takes to run a top program when he or she works a full-time job and has school-aged children,” Julian said in a text.
“Coach Rankin has graciously accepted my request to help with this need. I hope that he is able to run the program and balance the demands from his work. He and I will reevaluate at the end of the season.”
Holy Cross hired Allen in May to replace former head coach Kes Murphy, who resigned with a 151-81 record in eight seasons with the program. But Allen had to give up the position because of “a change in family dynamics,” according to Julian.
“Jerry’s wife received a promotion that will involve international travel,” Julian explained in an email. “With three young children at home, they felt he would not be able to devote the time to the program as he will be the primary caregiver.”
Last season, Holy Cross posted an 18-13 record, won the 9th Region All “A” Classic and made it to the 9th Region post-season tournament with four underclassmen in the starting lineup. The returning players include 6-foot-5 center Sidney Thomas and shooting guard Olivia Crigler, who made 72 3-point goals.
Holy Cross is one of four 9th Region girls’ basketball teams that will have a new head coach next season. Lloyd, Holmes and Dayton also have vacancies to fill.
Tyler Teke, who compiled an 83-76 record in six seasons as Lloyd’s head coach, is also stepping down for family reasons. “We are expecting our second child and I was presented with an opportunity to be at home more with the family,” he posted on Twitter.
Over the last three seasons, the Juggernauts had a 54-34 record under Teke and earned a berth in the 2017 9th Region tournament for the first time in 11 years.
Greg Ash resigned at Holmes after just one season. He led the Bulldogs to a 21-8 record and a runner-up finish in the 9th Region tournament. Steve Hunt was Dayton’s head coach the last two seasons and his teams compiled a 32-28 record.
Ryle girls golf team enters season with three veteran players
The Ryle girls golf team that placed third in last year’s state tournament will open the 2018 season Friday in the Shelby County Lady Rocket Classic.
The Raiders have three of the top five golfers in last year’s lineup returning. One of them is senior Olivia DiPaolo, who placed second in the Region 6 tournament and eighth in the state tournament.
Ryle’s other returning golfers are junior Caitlyn Richardson and eighth-grader Sophia DiPaolo. They both placed among the top seven scorers in the regional tournament to help win the team title by 60 strokes.
Filling the fourth spot in the Raiders’ lineup could take some time, according to coach Nick DiPaolo.
“Right now, there are opportunities for some of the other girls to step up and help this team,” he said. “We need to take it one tournament at a time and not get ahead of ourselves. There are so many good players and teams in our region led by outstanding coaches. Our goal right now is to get to regional playing as a cohesive team.”
The Ryle boys golf team also won a regional championship last year and placed sixth in their state tournament. But four of the top five golfers in that lineup graduated, including three-time regional medalist Ryan Clements.
It looks like Ryle coach John Kells will be rebuilding the boys team around senior Lincoln Herbst, who placed among the top 10 in last year’s Region 7 tournament.
Jeff Trame closing the book on unique head coaching career
Jeff Trame has resigned as Scott’s head baseball coach after seven seasons, but the 57-year-old retired teacher would like to stay involved with the program.
“I’d still like to help out in some way, just not be head coach,” he said. “I love baseball, love coaching and love the kids, it’s just a time thing for me. I’d just like to have the freedom to be there when I want to be there.”
Trame came to Scott in 1993 as the boys head basketball coach and ended up coaching volleyball, slow-pitch softball and baseball as well over the past 25 years. He doubts if there’s anyone else in the area, or maybe even the state, with that combination of sports on their coaching resume.
The Scott boys basketball team compiled a 181-142 record during Trame’s 11 years as head coach. He was an assistant coach in volleyball and softball before taking charge of the baseball program in 2012.
The Eagles won back-to-back 10th Region baseball titles in 2014 and 2015 under Trame. His teams posted a 122-118 record over the last seven seasons.
Trame started coaching high school sports at Holy Cross while he was in college. He went on to become the head volleyball coach there and led the Indians to their first and only state tournament appearance in 1988. He also coached slow-pitch softball and took charge of the Holy Cross boys basketball program in 1988.
In his third season as basketball coach, Holy Cross upset Holmes, 75-73, in double-overtime to win the 1991 9th Region championship. That put the Indians in the state tournament for the first time in 19 years and they made it to the semifinals.