Dustin Kirkman said it was his goal to become the head basketball coach at his alma mater.
Mission accomplished.
Kirkman reached his personal and professional target Monday night when he was named the new Houston High School boys’ basketball head coach.
Kirkman, who joined the district as an assistant coach this year, replaces Brent Hall, who resigned after two years on the Tigers’ sidelines.
“It was a goal of mine to get back here to Houston,” said Kirkman, a 1999 HHS graduate. “I have a lot of pride coming from Houston. It means something to me to be from Houston.”
Kirkman was a standout player with the Tigers before continuing his career at Missouri State University-West Plains and College of the Ozarks. After graduating in 2004, he began his coaching career as the eighth grade coach at Ozark. A year later, Kirkman joined the Licking High School staff as an assistant and remained there before returning to Houston.
Hall said Kirkman is an intense coach and will emphasize hustle and work ethic.
“He’ll make the kids do things right. He’ll demand their attention and respect,” Hall said. “He’ll make them work hard and will be really hard on them, which is what they need at times and will make them better ballplayers.”
Kirkman inherits a program that hasn’t had much success lately. Houston hasn’t won a conference title since 1989. The last district title came in 1984.
Kirkman said youth and middle school programs will be important parts of improving the program. After school Tuesday afternoon, he was inside Hiett Gymnasium, working with sixth, seventh and eighth grade students on their fundamentals.
“That’s where it will really build — catching the kids early on and having the same coaches with the same philosophies,” Kirkman said. When you are changing ideas year to year, it makes it tough for the kids to build on.”
Kirkman and Hall both agreed that coaching stability is a key to getting the program back to its winning ways. Kirkman follows Aaron Griffin, Wayne Jessen and Hall as the Tigers’ fourth coach in five seasons.
“The program needs stability, and I think Dustin will do that if everyone will be patient with him and let him work,” Hall said.
