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  • Bob Walker (right) poses for a picture at a Clinton Com-munity College practice in 2006. He will coach the Clinton High School boys next season. Jerry Dahl/ Clinton Herald

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July 24, 2009

Walker named interim coach

CHS grad is former coach at Clinton CC

By Scott McNeish

Herald Assistant Sports Editor

CLINTON — Clinton High School announced the hiring of former Clinton Community College coach Bob Walker as its interim boys basketball coach Wednesday afternoon.

A Clinton High graduate, Walker will helm the River Kings next season, and the coaching job will reopen in April 2010.

“We feel very fortunate that a coach with Bob's credentials has agreed to become our basketball coach for the upcoming season,” Clinton athletic director Gary Leuders said in a statement. “We had some strong applicants for the position, but without a teaching opening, some candidates were reluctant to make a move at this time of year.

“We will be advertising again in the spring, and I am confident will we find a quality coach.”

Until then, however, the River Kings have a local legend at the controls.

Walker coached at Clinton CC for 25 seasons, reaching the NJCAA Division II national tournament three times, producing seven All-Americans and sending 10 players to NCAA Division I programs. Two players extended their careers in European professional leagues.

Walker also coached high school hoops in Fort Thomas, Ariz., and at Bellevue from 1973 to ’78.

As a player, he earned first-team all-state honors at Clinton in 1966. He continued his playing career at Clinton CC and NCAA Division II Winona State.

“I'm excited,” Walker said in a phone interview. “I've been in Clinton basically my whole life. I played here, went to high school here, coached here for a long time. So this opportunity is kind of something that I've dreamed about, and it's coming true.”

Walker replaces Dave Shovlain, who resigned earlier this month after eight seasons to become athletic director at Davenport North High School.

Walker retired from his Clinton CC post after the 2006 season. But he could never scratch his coaching itch.

“It was something I did for over 30 years,” said Walker, who enters next season with 496 combined wins. “I missed it. There's a lot of relationships that I miss. I miss the athletes, being there for the young people, knowing the other coaches, the games.

“I'm excited to get back into all of it.”

Clinton's coaching search lasted less than a month. The CHS athletic department hoped to reel in a coach who also taught at the school, but no such job opening existed.

The possibility of Walker becoming the long-term solution remains open, but school officials and Walker will hold that discussion in the spring.

“In the meantime,” Lueders said, “I am confident that the varsity staff and Coach Walker will do everything they can to ensure the continued success of the CHS basketball program.”

Walker inherits a team that went 12-11 last season and tied for fifth in the Mississippi Athletic Conference.

The River Kings stunned defending Class 4A state runner-up Davenport Central by two in the substate quarterfinals and fell to Bettendorf, which finished fourth in the state, in the semis. Starters, David Johnson, the leading scorer, and Jake Mangler return.

“It's been a while,” Walker said. “I'm ready to get started.”

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Walker named interim coach
by Anonymous , , Fri Jul 24, 2009, 09:41 AM CDT
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