DHSS Update: Ram Nation Loses Basketball Coaches As Rocky, Benton Step Down; Who Are Leading Candidates?

 RAM NATION LOSES BOTH BASKETBALL COACHES; WHO WILL TAKE OVER? 

In High School sports its rare to lose one good head basketball coach from a program. 

The Trotwood Rams lost their girls and boys varsity coaches in a span of a week. 

Hank Benton, the girls head coach, stepped down after a successful tenure with the Rams girls program, leading them to the District Finals last season. He has taken his talents to Atlanta. 

Rocky Rockhold, the Trotwood boys coach who succeeded in bringing Ram Nation a OHSAA State Championship five years ago, decided to step down last week, leaving two of the elite jobs open in the high school in the Miami Valley and Ram Nation in a frenzy.

With that being said, here are some of the top candidates in the Miami Valley and their odds on getting one of the coaching positions. 

MEET THE CANDIDATES  - ODDS NEXT TO NAME 

Peter Pullen -  (Girls & Boys Varsity)  1:2 

Pullen seems to be treading towards the opportunity to possibly finish his career on his terms, as he was unceremoniously dumped by DPS before jumping back as a assistant coach with Northmont last year. It's obvious Pullen has the fire in his belly to coach.  

With both spots available,  it will be a little intriguing to see which job Pullen would be more interested in.

Regardless, Pullen is one of the favorites.  

Anthony Clements -  (Boys Varsity)  6:1 

Clements has been a good assistant coach under the Rocky Regime, and was on the sidelines when the Rams won the championship. 

While it didn't go as planned in West Carrollton,  Clemens has shown progress and will be a legitimate candidate for the boys job. 

Quinton Alstork  -  (Boys & Girls Varsity)  4:1 

Alstork, the youngest of the qualified coaches, has been through the circuit with a variety of programs, which landed him with the Rams staff last season. 

With over 10 years of coaching, Alstork seems ready to take over either program and would provide a boost as he has been able to relate very well to the youth along with continuing to develop  in coaching.   He has said he is ready, and he should be grabbing a job soon.

Shawn McCullough -  (Boys Varsity)  25:1 

While McCullough name has been thrown around, there are a couple of factors that wouldn't let this rumor become a reality.

(1) He's at Springfield looking to take his young talent to the next level.

(2) Not friends with some Trotwood management and officials

While those are some keg factors, it still doesn't mean that one of the better coaches in the Miami Valley won't be considered. While it's a longshot,  it has been a topic of discussion.  

Larry Barnes  (Girls Varsity)  5:1

Barnes was Benton's top assistant over the years for the girls varsity. Barnes has been a Assistant in the circuit for over 2 decades.  While Barnes has shown real development as a assistant coach, Barnes has flown under the radar for a long time. Is this his year? 

Anthony Parker  (Boys Varsity)  50:1  

While Parker was the first guy who seemed to be mentioned for the job, it seems like Parker might be out of the race for the job due to a couple of key situations. 

(1) Parker has family tied into West Carrollton as his son has just joined the football staff, and his daughter is a sophomore on the girls basketball team. 

(2) Parker has a good team, and doesn't want to lose momentum,  despite losing a couple of key players heading into this season.

 "I feel like we have some unfinished business and I like what we have built over the years here at West Carrollton."  Parker said.

With that being said, Parker was one of the top coaches on that esteemed Trotwood staff that Rocky had assembled over the last decade or so. He has ties to the Trotwood community as well, and lives there in running his EM2G Camp in the summer. 

Expect a push by the Rams brass for Parker to come back to Trotwood. 

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