Gravette boys basketball coach Dustin Peters is returning to the River Valley.
Peters has resigned at Gravette and will become the new girls basketball coach at Scranton.
He turned in his resignation Monday morning at Gravette, where he had been the last five years. The Lions went 20-9 last season under Peters, and they finished third in the 4A-1 Conference and reached the Class 4A North Region Tournament.
Peters said it was a family decision that swayed him into taking the new position.
"Ozark called and gave my wife a good job last year, and I want to be living with my wife and kids," Peters said. "It's been difficult being two hours apart, and there's been a lot of time spent on the road for my kids.
"My wife and I are both from that area, and it's a good situation. I think Scranton is probably one of the best jobs in the River Valley. There's going to be a lot on my plate, but Scranton has a great tradition and great players."
Peters' departure leaves Gravette with a hole to fill quickly, especially with the start of the school year about a month away. Athletic director Norman Mitchell said he would like to have someone in place when Gravette's school board meets on July 21.
"We're going to be on a quick timetable," Mitchell said. "The longer it draws out, the harder it will be to get a school to release the person that we might want to hire.
"I figure between the tires on my truck and my cellphone, both of them are going to get plenty of use in the next few days. We're fortunate to live near the state line, so we can draw from surrounding states as well."
Scranton is expected to announce Peters as its new girls basketball coach at tonight's school board meeting. He replaces Charlie Melton, who resigned to take a similar position at Dover.
Sports on 07/15/2014