W.S. Neal varsity boys basketball coach Dewan Salter will have double-duty this coming season.
Salter has recently been named as former WSN girls basketball head coach Buddy Powell’s replacement after Powell got the principal’s job at Pollard-McCall Junior High School.
Powell was named WSN’s girls head coach in 2013, and went 5-17 his first year at the helm and 9-17 last year for a combined record of 14-34. The team had nine combined wins in three previous seasons before Powell took over as head coach.
WSN head boys coach Dewan Salter has recently been named as Powell’s replacement to take over for the girls. Salter will coach both the girls and boys teams at WSN.
“Coach Salter did a very good job for us in boy’s basketball last year,” WSN athletic director Doug Hoehn said. “I think that program moved forward considerably under his leadership. Coach Powell transferred to a principal’s job very late. We wish him all the best. We want to thank him for all that he did. He did a great job with our girl’s basketball team.
“When you have a move that late in the year, and in addition, we didn’t have a teaching spot open because he was our assistant principal, we could not offer a coach. We offered coach Salter and he accepted.”
The coaching change is the seventh change in nine years for the Lady Eagle basketball.
Kason Whitten took over as head coach for the boys and girls basketball teams at W.S. Neal in 2011-12 seasons and coached two seasons.
For the Lady Eagles, Whitten replaced John Saxon (2010-11), Derek Roberts (2009-10), Olivia Stephens (2008-09) and Steve Lambert (2007-08).
Powell replaced Whitten in 2013 and coached two seasons.
Salter led WSN’s boys to a 14-11 record last season. The boys team had only three winning seasons in the last 14 seasons.
Salter led the team to a perfect 4-0 in area play and captured the program’s first area championship since the 1989-90 season thaw saw Harrison Mims lead the program. The other lone area championship was during the 1987-88 season when Danny Parker led the team.
The team also won the area tournament championship last year.