FAYETTEVILLE -- Tommy Deffebaugh, assistant boy's basketball coach at Fayetteville since the 2010-11 school year, will leave the Bulldogs to become an assistant on coach Jimmy Dykes' women's basketball staff at Arkansas.
Deffebaugh, 53, and Dykes were basketball teammates at Fayetteville and the new Arkansas assistant brings 21 years of college coaching experience to the position. For Deffebaugh, the opportunity to join up with his longtime friend while staying in his hometown was too good to pass up.
"I've known Jimmy for basically all of my life. We played together, went to school together and basically got into coaching at the same time," Deffebaugh said. "We've always stayed in contact and I always envisioned one of these days we'd get together in coaching.
"Suddenly here we are 30 years later getting the chance to coach together, and of all places at the great University of Arkansas."
Deffenbaugh began his coaching career in 1985 in the Springfield, (Mo.) public school system after graduating from Drury College, where he played basketball and was an Honorable Mention All-American. His college coaching stops include South Florida, Western Michigan, Missouri State, Oral Roberts, Southern Illinois, Drury, Dartmouth, Tennessee Tech and Missouri-Rolla.
"I've kept up with Tommy's career all the way through and he's really well thought of in the college game in his 20-plus years," Dykes said. "He lines up with us perfect on my philosophy on life and on basketball. He's a man-to-man defensive coach, he's well thought off and he's a great family man.
"He's also a great recruiter. Tommy is a great communicator and he's great in individual workouts. So he matches up with us in terms of our philosophy. And I thought it was important to find someone, if I could, who is from Arkansas and who understands what it means to be a Razorback. So he met all the criteria."
Deffebaugh was the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant head coach the last five seasons at Fayetteville, helping the Bulldogs to the 7A state finals in both 2012 and 2013 and the state semifinals this season.
"We obviously hate losing Tommy and his family, his wife Tracy and his kids, Conner and Karri," Fayetteville boys basketball coach Kyle Adams said. "But we understand this was a great opportunity for Tommy. He and Jimmy played together and coach Dykes has something really special going up there at Arkansas and they're building a great program."
This will be the first women's basketball coaching position in Deffebaugh's career after 30 years of coaching boys. But neither he nor Dykes are concerned about the transition.
"I coached my daughter, her fourth grade team, and we even got second in league championship," Deffebaugh said. "But like I told Jimmy, coaching is coaching. I understand I'll have to make some adjustments, most definitely. But basketball terminology is basketball terminology and coaching is coaching.
"I have to get adjusted to the recruiting and the lingo that is out there for girls and get in touch with the recruiting gurus, so to speak, but other than that basketball is basketball."
Adams said there is no immediate timetable on naming a replacement for Deffebaugh at Fayetteville.
"We'll try to get a timeline together pretty soon," Adams said. "It's a great job to have and one that Tommy made even better."
Sports on 05/16/2015