Chester County names Dyersburg assistant Kody Howard as boys basketball coach
With team camps dominating the schedule in June, Chester County has named its new boys basketball coach at the right time.
Dyersburg assistant boys basketball coach and middle school coach Kody Howard has been named the Eagles' new coach.
"It was (Dyersburg boys) Coach (Blaine) Mahaffey, asking him about his time at McNairy coaching," Howard said. "He said there are great people and a great school system that is going to do things the right way. If I was going to go for it, go all out."
Howard has been an assistant coach at Dyersburg for the past two seasons, and he was the Lake County boys basketball head coach the two seasons before that.
Howard is replacing Drew Stutts, who was named the Freed-Hardeman men's basketball coach in mid-April.
Chester County is coming off its best season in more than a decade. The Eagles finished 19-10 with their first region semifinal appearance since 2004.
"It is about consistency, coming in every day and working as hard as you can," Howard said. "Yeah, last year was great, but I have to worry about the kids I have now and getting them better each and every day. In the long run, that will pay off."
As for the team camps next month, Howard has a plan for those also.
"Me getting to know my players personally and their ability basketball-wise," Howard said. "I am not looking for wins or losses. I am looking to see how hard they compete and see what they can and can't do, so that I can see what type of system I want to run here."
Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.
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