MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— Both Morgantown High and University High boys’ head basketball coaches stepped down leaving the rival schools searching for new coaches to lead both programs.
School Superintendent Frank Devono said his office received resignation letters from Morgantown Coach Tom Yester and UHS Coach Paul Ingle this week. Both letters will need to be approved by the Board of Education during its meeting next week.
Yester has spent 42 years as a head coach, 32 of them at Morgantown. The Mohigans caught fire in the second half this season, winning the OVAC Tournament and earning a berth in the WVSSAC Boys’ Basketball State Tournament. The Mohigans finished the year 15-11 following an 81-61 loss to top seeded Washington on Wednesday.
“I am retiring and I just want to thank all the players that I’ve ever had for the great times that we’ve had,” Yester said in a statement to The Dominion Post. “It’s nice to watch a lot of them grow into their professions and their families and that type of thing. That’s been particularly pleasing for me.”
However, Yester’s final season had its share of challenges. Yester was suspended for three games following a complaint from parents of a player who claimed Yester assaulted their son. Yester denies the allegations and no charges have ever been filed. The player eventually quit the team.
Paul Ingle was hired as the UHS Coach in 2009 and had previously served in several assistant roles for the Hawks. The Hawks finished the season 6-17.
“I was fortunate to have been the University High School basketball coach,” Ingle told The Dominion Post. “I wish all those in the program and the next head coach the very best of luck.”
Devono expects the job to be posted by April 1.