It's official: former KC coach Schumacher named same at NDSCS
JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

SCHUMACHER

As expected following his resignation as head basketball coach here at Kilgore College, Scott Schumacher has accepted the same position at the North Dakota State College of Science, a two-year school in Wahpeton, N.D.

The school made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon, as athletic director Jane Passa said Schumacher officially becomes coach April 12.

Schumacher replaces Craig Irwin as coach of the Wildcats, who stepped down following a 25-6 season in 2007-08. It was mentioned in a story two weeks ago in the Fargo (N.D.) Forum that Schumacher, the most recent president of the NJCAA Basketball Coaches Association, was one of four candidates to replace Irwin as the Wildcats' coach.

Passa said NDSCS is pleased with the hire.

"Scott's strong connections throughout the college basketball community will help recruit strong players as well as sign student-athletes to four-year colleges after they leave NDSCS," she said. "He's very committed to education, and he's excited about junior college basketball."

Schumacher was at Kilgore College for 13 seasons before resigning on Tuesday, the longest-tenured coach in the Kilgore area other than Kilgore High School head football coach Mike Vallery, who just completed his 13th season as coach of the Ragin' Red. Schumacher was at KC 13 years, but spent 18 total (and consecutive) in the Region XIV Conference - before coming to KC as head coach, he was head men's coach at Paris Junior College.

Kilgore College Athletic Director David Castles told the Kilgore News Herald yesterday that the college will accept applications for the vacant men's basketball coaching position until April 28, then begin to sift through them and conduct interviews.

The new men's coach will be the third head coach hired in the last three years at KC - Roy Thomas just finished his second year as the Lady Rangers' basketball coach, and J.J. Eckert just finished his first at the helm of the KC football program. Hiring the new coach will be one of the final official activities conducted by Castles, who has said he will retire later this year.