|
Fletchall
named Barton men’s basketball coach
Craig
Fletchall was named as the new men’s basketball coach at Barton
County Community College Wednesday afternoon when the college’s
Board of Trustee approved his hiring at its monthly meeting. Fletchall
becomes the school’s 11th men’s basketball coach, replacing
Dave Campbell, who resigned after two years at the Cougar’s
coach.
Coach
Fletchall comes to Barton County from Neosho County, where he has
spent the past 5 seasons as the coach of the Panthers. This past
season Coach Fletchall guided Neosho to the Region VI finals for
the 1st time in school history. His 5-year mark at Neosho was 101-58.
This season the Panthers jumped to a 17-1 start to the season before
finishing with a regular season mark of 23-7. Neosho then knocked
off 3-time defending Region VI Champion Coffeyville in the semifinals,
74-59. Upstart Pratt ended Neosho’s season in the Region VI
Championship game, 77-65. Neosho was ranked as high as No. 12 this
year – the highest ranking in school history.
Coach
Fletchall is 2-1 life time against Barton, including a 69-68 overtime
win this past December as well as ending Barton’s string of
50 straight non-conference home wins in 2002. Neosho defeated the
then unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Cougars 100-98 in double overtime
at the Walnut Bowl/Cougar Booster Club Classic.
Coach
Fletchall has spent most of his career in the Jayhawk Conference
and it’s surrounding communities. He grew up in Hutchinson
and went to college at Wichita State University and Fort Hays State
University. He spent 11 seasons in the high school ranks, winning
a state title at Hutch Trinity in 1987. Trinity was where Coach
Fletchall started his coaching career, going 40-9 in his 2 seasons
with the state title in 1987. After winning the state title, Coach
Fletchall moved on to Wichita Kapaun Mount Carmel where he guided
the Crusaders for three seasons before taking the job at Shawnee
Mission East. In his 6 years at East, his clubs went 86-47 and posted
the school record for number of wins at 19 in his final season in
1996. His teams won back-to-back Sub State titles (the only time
in school history). He earned league Coach of the Year honors at
Trinity (1987) and East (1993). Coach Fletchall was 146-99 in his
11 seasons at the high school level.
He
began his service in the Jayhawk Conference as an assistant at Cowley
County for 3 seasons. The Tigers set the school record for wins
in 2 of those 3 seasons. In 1998 – Coach Fletchall’s
initial season at Cowley – the Tigers won 25 games only to
better that mark in 2000 at 26. From there he moved on to Neosho
where be took the Panthers to within a game of the NJCAA National
Tournament.
In
addition to the success of his teams on the court, Coach Fletchall’s
teams have had great success in the classroom as well. Each of his
teams have had a 3.0 GPA or higher and 34 of the 35 sophomores have
graduated from Neosho during his tenure. In 2001his team had the
highest GPA in NJCAA Division I. The team was also honored as an
Academic All-American team in 2002 when Neosho had the 4th highest
GPA at the division I men’s basketball level.
-30-
Check
out Barton County Basketball Online at www.bartonccc.edu/sports
|