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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW California man dies in I-5 rollover ... Medford man wins Megabucks jackpot ... Budget tops $339 million for 2016-17 ... California man dies in I-5 rollover ... Medford man wins Megabucks jackpot ... Budget tops $339 million for 2016-17 ... PREP NOTEBOOK South AD, hoops coach search to begin in April Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Mar. 28, 2016 at 7:28 PM Updated Mar 30, 2016 at 2:36 PM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Mar. 28, 2016 at 7:28 PM Updated Mar 30, 2016 at 2:36 PM » Social News Finding a replacement for the roles Dennis Murphy has held at South Medford High as athletic director and boys basketball coach will be no small task but one that will begin in earnest in April, according to SMHS Principal Damian Crowson. Crowson said Monday that the school expects to take advantage of the window of opportunity brought on by job fairs for teachers in Southern Oregon as well as Portland in the coming weeks to promote not only the openings brought on by Murphy’s impending retirement but a handful of others in the district expected for the 2016-17 school year. There is also a conference for the Oregon Athletic Directors Association in April. It is Crowson’s hope that the school will be able to pair any available “extra-duty position” with teaching positions at the high school, whether that means filling Murphy’s roles with those currently on staff or by bringing someone in to fill one or both positions. “We want to be very open because both positions are incredibly important to South Medford High School,” said Crowson, who is in his first year as principal at the school. “South Medford is a premiere school and a premiere destination and program across the board.” “We’re going to be very generic with things,” he added of the upcoming job postings. “My thought is I want to make sure I hire the best person for South Medford and if it’s the same guy or gal for both, then great.” Crowson said April is the month when things heat up on the hiring front, and he expects great interest in both the AD and boys basketball positions once the 10-day posting is made. “Obviously we want to get it posted and want to cast a wide net and, quite honestly, this could be a national search,” he said. “There could be people from all over the place interested.” “When it gets posted, I’m sure word’s going to get out and who knows what the applicant pool will be,” added Crowson. That’s not to say Murphy’s replacement can’t or won’t come from within the building — or district for that matter. Crowson said he’s keeping his options open to ensure he finds the best fit for each role. All that sounds just fine for Murphy, who retires as AD in June and guided the Panthers to a second-place showing at the Class 6A state tournament two weeks ago. “I’ve had a great commitment here and I only want what’s best for the program,” he said Monday. “I’d like to see someone take it higher than I did, get more kids playing, win more games and hopefully have more fun.” Murphy capped his coaching career ranked third on Oregon’s all-time boys basketball coaching wins list at 697-210, with the highest winning percentage (76.8 percent). In seven years at St. Mary’s High, his teams went 123-42 and won a state title in 1979. In 28 years at South Medford, he was 574-168 with a state title in 2007 and runner-up showings in 2006 and 2016. Murphy said his main hope was to see the positions get filled as quickly as possible to give the new hire(s) time to get organized heading into the summer and connected with the South Medford students, staff and coaches. Crowson said his time frame would be to have someone in place before the end of the school year, and potentially by May, but he wasn’t going to be held to a firm date. “It could be May, it could be June … the sooner the better but I’m not going to close the door at any particular time,” he said. “Our whole focus is hiring the right person and the timeline is secondary, for sure.” Each position has its benefits and drawbacks but Murphy said the support from the community is at the highest level and the district places a premium on doing what it can to enhance a student’s high school experience through extracurricular activities. “There’s surely opportunity for someone to come in and put their name on it and move it in a new direction and take it to a higher level if they can,” said Murphy. At the end of the day, Crowson said the characteristics he will be looking for in candidates will be the ones that remain in keeping with what has made South Medford successful over the years. “We just want to be proud of the product that we have on and off the field and I think that’s the primary focus we have,” he said. “If you’re proud of the product and who’s creating that product and leading that product then winning is going to take care of itself.” There has already been considerable buzz about the vacancies, according to Crowson, and not just in Southern Oregon. That said, saying someone will be able to completely fill the shoes of someone like Murphy, who carries an infectious spirit in both roles, seems unrealistic. “We’re excited about the upcoming process and still very appreciative of everything Dennis has done for the high school, the basketball program and the staff,” said Crowson. “He’s been a fantastic resource for us the past 28 years.” Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected] , www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Mar. 28, 2016 at 7:28 PM Updated Mar 30, 2016 at 2:36 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers move quickly to add Miles The way Cascade Christian athletic director Dave Fennell sees it, you can’t get anywhere without first taking a step. As one of many... 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