Ferrells Enjoy Year Together At College

David Ferrell couldn't have asked for a better year.

The 49-year-old high school basketball coaching veteran is nearing the completion of his first year as a head coach on the collegiate level at the University of the Ozarks. That's been a great experience in itself, but he's also spent that time with his son, Josh, and daughter, Jordyn, near him almost every step of the way.

David Ferrell

School: University of the Ozarks

Notable: Led the Eagles to an 8-17 record in his first year as a head coach at the collegiate level. … Won 510 games over the past 24 years as a high school basketball coach, including 21 of those years at West Fork. … Has now coached his son, Josh, for every year of his basketball career since third grade.

Josh Ferrell

School: University of the Ozarks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 155

Class: Freshman

Notable: Named American Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year, leading all freshman in a variety of statistical categories including 11.8 points, 2.1 steals and 36.4 minutes per game. … Earned all-state honors as a senior while playing for his father at West Fork, averaging 22 points, 6.9 assists and 5.3 steals per game.

Jordyn Ferrell

School: University of the Ozarks

Notable: Spent this season as the assistant women’s basketball coach while finishing her degree at the University of the Ozarks. … Played two seasons for the Lady Eagles, earning academic all-distrct and all-conference honors as a senior. … Also competed for the cross country team at University of the Ozarks.

Josh Ferrell excelled as a he continued playing for his father. The 6-1 guard earned American Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year honors. Jordyn Ferrell finished up her college basketball career last year, but completed her degree work and at the same time worked as a full-time assistant coach for the Lady Eagles basketball team this year.

Enjoying the time with his children has been incredibly special, Ferrell said.

"No amount of money can buy what I've gotten to experience the last year," Ferrell said. "Special is just the best word to sum it all up. My office is 7 or 8 feet from Jordyn's."

Ferrell acknowledged it was a strange feeling in August when he was walking across campus with his 23-year-old daughter to attend the same coaches' meeting.

"I think it hit me then that she's a coach, too," Ferrell said. "It was weird. But it was good to see her in a leadership role."

Jordyn won't return to University of the Ozarks next year as a coach, instead she'll be attend Central Arkansas pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy. But she's loved the year getting closer with her father and brother.

"Any time I needed something I could peek my head into dad's office," Jordyn Ferrell said. "It was neat being so close. I learned a lot from him, listening to him. I feel like we're blessed to enjoy an opportunity like this that almost nobody gets."

Ferrell's children were both working through transitions of their own, Josh going from being a high school player to college and Jordyn going from player to coach. But the elder Ferrell was doing the same adjusting from coaching high school basketball for the past 25 years to now working at the collegiate level.

Ferrell admitted there were adjustments, like coaching a game with a shot clock and two 20-minute halves versus four 8-minute quarters. But he brought the same system that helped him win more than 500 games on the high school level to Clarksville.

"I had to be willing to learn too," Ferrell said. "The game is longer. The college game is faster. But I really didn't change one thing. We always liked to play at a pretty fast pace at West Fork."

Keeping that system also likely helped Josh's adjustment to the college game since he was working offensive and defensive system he'd played in for several years.

Josh even took on a coaching role early on when some players were struggling to learn some of the set plays, Ferrell said.

"I called him one night after one pretty hard workout and he told me he had about 10 of the guys back in the gym going over some of our plays," Ferrell said. "Some of them who had been having trouble called him and asked him for help. He knew them as well as I did and they understood that."

All three also spent time together since the men's and women's basketball teams travel together on conference road trips.

"We go on charter buses and we eat together," Ferrell said.

Josh Ferrell agreed he and his sister definitely became closer over the past year since she lives in a house not two minutes from his dormitory.

"She helps me with homework if I have questions, cooks me dinner," Josh said. "She's just always been there for me and this has definitely brought us closer together."

Their dad joked that she even cuts her brother's hair.

Next year will be different with Jordyn moving on to UCA, but they all agree it's a time they won't forget.

"You couldn't have dreamed it up for sure," David Ferrell said. "You look back on it and it's maybe more special now than when it was happening. We are blessed that's for sure."

Sports on 04/30/2014

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