The lure to return to Houston wasn’t quite enough to bring Britany Cheek home.
Cheek declined an offer Wednesday morning to become the new Houston High School head volleyball coach. She applied for the position and conducted an interview before ultimately deciding to stay put at Billings High School, where Cheek has won district championships three of the past four years and has 93 victories in five seasons.
“I would like to thank the Houston School District for offering me the job. I really appreciate all the kind words and support I got from school officials and people in the community,” Cheek said. “Houston is my hometown, and I still hold it near to my heart. I wish nothing but the best for the school and the sports programs.”
Cheek, a 2006 HHS graduate, cited her team’s success and connections in the area as her biggest reasons for staying. Although she loses eight members from her 2014 district champion team, Cheek said she believes her strong junior high and junior varsity teams will be able to continue the program’s recent success.
“I feel I can’t leave Billings,” she said.
Houston Superintendent Scott Dill said the district will continue to evaluate applications and accepted resumes to replace former coach Skye Wade, who resigned in November after four seasons with the Lady Tigers.
“Britany was at the top of our list,” Dill said. “While we respect her decision, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I was really hopeful that she might come home.”
“I would like to thank the Houston School District for offering me the job. I really appreciate all the kind words and support I got from school officials and people in the community. I chose to decline the offer and stay in Billings where I have been for the past 5 years. I have built a program at Billings and have won 3 districts in the past 4 years. I feel I can’t leave Billings. This next year will be a reloading process as we lost 8 varsity members to graduation, but I feel the underclassmen and this year’s Junior High have what it takes to continue our success as a program. I have a lot of connections up in this area and I also have the opportunity to coach Club volleyball. Houston is my hometown and I still hold it near to my heart. I wish nothing but the best for the school and the sports programs.”