Shiloh Christian boys basketball coach Brent Hester resigned Friday to go into private family business.
Hester has been a coach at Shiloh Christian since 2008, serving as a volunteer assistant to then girls basketball coach Vic Rimmer. He later was hired as an assistant boys coach under former coach Greg White and was elevated to head boys coach in 2010.
The Saints posted a 13-1 record in the 2011-12 season and won the 4A-1 Conference regular season championship.
"I have an opportunity to work outside the school with my brothers," Hester said. "I realize the timing is terrible with it being almost Labor Day, but this opportunity is something I can't pass up."
Prior to becoming a coach, Hester was in real estate sales, which is the field he will be returning to, he said Friday morning. He will also be involved in some other business ventures with his brothers Brian and Bart. Bart Hester is an Arkansas state senator.
Hester said he also plans to serve as a volunteer assistant coach at Fayetteville with Rimmer, pending approval by the Fayetteville athletic director.
"This is an opportunity for me to work with my brothers and my best friend," Hester said.
Shiloh Christian athletic director Jeff Conaway said a leadership committee would begin the search for a replacement.
"We have a plan in place to search for an interim coach," Conaway said. "We will work quickly on this, and we'll look both inside our school and outside.
Conaway agreed the timing for finding a coach will be a challenge with most coaches already under contract at schools, which started last week.
"It is what it is," Conaway said. "We will work together on this. I believe in our leadership team, that we will put together a plan to find a replacement quickly."
Sports on 08/29/2015