By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Greg Ash was named head coach of the Holmes girls’ basketball team during the Bulldogs’ awards banquet on Thursday.
Holmes coach Greg Ash
Ash, 49, was a varsity assistant coach for Holmes last season. Before that, he spent eight years as a girls’ varsity assistant coach at Our Lady of Providence in Indiana.
“I’m excited,” Ash said of his first head coaching position. “We have a great bunch of kids here. I learned that last season. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Last season, Holmes won the 9th Region championship and made it to the semifinals of the state tournament under former head coach Tony Perkins, who announced his retirement in late March.
Perkins led the Bulldogs to back-to-back 9th Region championships and a 106-23 record over the last four seasons.
“Coach Perkins has just done an incredible job,” Ash said. “He’s made it a program of high standards. That’s going to be my goal – to make sure the program stays where it is and advances.”
The only senior starter on the Holmes team last season was point guard Jaynice Stovall, who was recruited by Vincennes University in Indiana. With the other four starters returning, Holmes should be among the leading contenders for the 9th Region title once again.
“It’s going to be really hard to replace Jaynice, not only for her points per game but her leadership on and off the floor and her defense,” Ash said. “We’re going to have to change our style of play a little bit without her. We had a short bench last year and we’re going to have a short bench this year. That makes it really hard to press and play man-to-man defense for 32 minutes three nights a week.”
Three of the returning starters for Holmes – Tyrah Englemon, Laila Johnson and Kamari Graham – had double-figure scoring averages last season. Englemon also snagged a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game.
Ash worked with all of the returning players as an assistant coach last season. That was one of the reasons he was hired to fill the vacant head coaching position.
“He did a really nice job for us last year,” said Holmes athletic director Stan Steidel. “He has great rapport with the kids and he really impressed our folks (on the selection committee) when he talked to them.”
Holmes is the second 9th Region girls’ basketball team to name a new head coach. Earlier this week, Ryan Bowman was hired as head coach of the Boone County Rebels.
