Van Buren selected veteran college assistant Brad Autry to be its new boys basketball coach during Thursday's school board meeting.
The 50-year-old Autry replaces Austin Trembley, who resigned after two years to enter private business.
"I spoke to a couple of guys I knew about the job," said Autry, who was hired after his interview earlier this week. "There were some other opportunities, and in the process I prayed for God to make things simple because I'm not good at this kind of choices.
"I couldn't be happier. I'm ready to settle down, and I wanted to be a head coach again. This is a great fit for me and my family, and it's a perfect opportunity for me. I know the area well, and Van Buren is a wonderful community."
Autry has spent the last four years as an assistant under Barry Hinson at Southern Illinois and was at Hawaii for a year before that. He also served as an assistant at Marquette under Buzz Williams (2008-14), at Arkansas-Little Rock under Steve Shields (2003-07) and at Tulsa under Bill Self (1999-2000).
He has been a high school head coach on two occasions: at Houston Dekaney in 2007-08 and at Keller (Texas) Fossil Ridge in 2002-03.
"A good friend of mine recommended him, and we're excited to have him," Van Buren athletic director Randy Loyd said. "He's been at a quite a number of places, but he's ready to settle down. We're lucky that we got a good one."
-- Henry Apple • @NWAHenry
Sports on 06/07/2019