Logan hoop coach, Imhoff, calls it quits;
was
all-time wins leader at JALC with 337
BY JOHN
D. HOMAN
Logan
Media Services
CARTERVILLE
– John A. Logan men’s basketball coach Mark Imhoff announced his retirement
Tuesday, effective the end of this month.
 |
| Courtesy: John A. Logan College |
Imhoff,
55, cited mainly business reasons for making his decision to step away
from his longtime post. He compiled an overall record of 337-200 over the last
17 years, the most in school history.
Under
his leadership, the Volunteers captured two Great Rivers Athletic Conference
titles (2007 and 2010) and two Region 24 championships (1999 and 2000).
A
Murphysboro native, Imhoff previously served as an assistant to Tom Ashman for
10 years at Logan.
"Obviously,
there are a number of factors involved in making a decision to retire,"
Imhoff said. "For me, I'm a bubble guy in this state pension system and we
are all aware that the system has some serious uncertainties for the
future.
"I'm
32 years involved in this system and have reached a point in time where I could
retire."
Imhoff
said he spent many months weighing the pros and cons of retirement.
"This
is not something you decide in a week to 10 days. There has been some thought
put into this," he said. "I feel very fortunate to say I got to make
a career out of the game of basketball. My father was a coach and it's all I
ever wanted to do, too. And to do it for 32 years...well, as I said, I have
been very fortunate."
Imhoff
said he will undoubtedly go through coaching withdrawals.
"Yeah,
but that would come about whether I leave today or 10 years from today. I think
the timing is right for me to step down."
Imhoff
said the passion to coach still burns within him, which is why he would
not rule out the possibility of coaching elsewhere sometime down the road.
"You
don't want to back yourself into a corner, so you never say never, right?
Believe me, that fire is not going to subside immediately. It won't because
coaching is very competitive. It gets in your blood."
Imhoff
said he is proud of the program's successes in his 27 years with the Logan
program.
"Without
a doubt," he said. "I have too much invested with this program not to
be proud. When I inherited the team from Coach Ashman more than 17
years ago, I inherited a strong program. And that was motivation enough
for me to keep it that way. I would like to think that our program is
respected around the country because of the way we went about business.
"I know
that I can leave with the peace of mind that this program will continue to
prosper after I leave," Imhoff said. "It also means a lot to me that
John A. Logan College basketball has been influenced by Murphysboro Red
Devil basketball for the past 30-plus years."
Both
Ashman and Imhoff are Murphysboro High grads.
Imhoff
said he will miss the associations he has developed over the years with fellow
coaches, former players, students and staff.
"When
I look back on my experience here, I am forever indebted to Coach Ashman for
giving me the opportunity to be a part of his program and for his support, as
well as then athletic director, John Sala, and then later Jerry (current
athletic director, Halstead), who I also consider a dear friend.
"I've
had the opportunity to work with some fabulous people at Logan," Imhoff
said. "There's a reason why the school has prospered over the years. It's
because of the people that work there who have put the time in to
make the college the success that it is today.
"As for
the kids, there have been hundreds of them," Imhoff said. "Again, I
have been fortunate to have some outstanding young men come through here, who
bought into our system of doing things, and have taken that knowledge to become
better basketball players at the next level, and more important, productive
members of society."
JALC
Athletic Director Jerry Halstead said he will indeed miss having Imhoff around
to lead the basketball program.
"He's
been the mainstay here for years, a solid coach and employee. It's certainly
going to be different without him."
Halstead
said Imhoff's decision to retire had been discussed for some time.
"It's
something we've talked about for the last eight months or so. Mark
was ready for last season to end. He was getting to the end of the candle so to
speak and I think the financial ramifications of it all with the
state made his decision to retire that much easier. There comes a time with
everyone when it's time to quit. And at the end of the day, I think Mark knew
it was time for him."
Halstead
said he has already begun fielding queries from coaches about the open position
and hopes that a hiring committee will be in place within just a matter of
days.
"We're
in the middle of recruiting season here with basketball, so there is a lot of
work to be done. Zach (assistant coach, Carpenter) will have to be the guy for
a month or so until we get a new head coach."
This year
marks the second year in a row that Logan has had a disruption in the men's
basketball program (assistant Kyle Smithpeters was hired last summer to serve
on the staff at Missouri State University).
"We're
losing a good one in Mark, but we'll just have to make the best of it,"
Halstead said.
Imhoff
said he has no new business ventures to attend to, no special trips to make, no
immediate plans.
"Just
golf and cigars for now," he joked.
