By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
It didn’t take long for Cooper to find a new boys head basketball coach.
School officials selected girls head basketball coach Justin Holthaus to fill the position three weeks after telling long-time boys head coach Tim Sullivan that his contract would not be renewed.
Holthaus was an assistant on Sullivan’s coaching staff before he was named Cooper girls head basketball coach in 2020. Over the last five seasons, his girls teams compiled a 128-30 record, won four consecutive 9th Region championships and made it to the state tournament semifinals twice.
In a media release, Cooper athletic director Randy Borchers said he is “confident that Coach Holthaus will bring the same level of excellence, energy, and vision to the Varsity Boys Basketball program as he has consistently demonstrated throughout his career.”
Holthaus was varsity assistant on the Cooper boys team that won its first 9th Region championship in 2017 and was runner-up in the state tournament.
This past season, Sullivan guided the Jaguars to their second 9th Region title and the state tournament quarterfinals.
“This program has a proud tradition, and I’m committed to building on that foundation,” Holthaus said in the press release. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Cooper’s elite athletes, supporting their growth on and off the court, and representing the Cooper Community with pride.”
Sullivan, who started the Cooper boys basketball program in 2008 and has won more than 300 games during his career, was recently named head coach at St. Henry High School.