Glasgow takes over at JHS

May 06, 2008 01:46 am

— By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Ben Glasgow, whose coaching experience includes six seasons at Rogersville (Mo.), is the new head girls basketball coach at Joplin High School.
Glasgow, 37, was an assistant for women’s coach Scott Morris in 2007-08 at Northern Oklahoma College of Enid.
“He has accepted the position,” Joplin athletic director Jeff Starkweather said Monday night. “It has to be approved at the next (District R-VIII) board meeting.”
Glasgow replaces Erin Jones. She resigned because of personal reasons after two years as head coach of the Eagles and has secured a position in Louisiana for 2008-09.
“I know it will be a challenge, but there’s potential,” Glasgow said. “All I can do is take my knowledge and style there. Definitely, there’s potential.”
Joplin finished 6-19 overall and 1-8 in the Ozark Conference this season. The Eagles didn’t finish with a senior player because of an injury to guard Samantha Phillips.
“I want to become involved at all levels in building up the program,” Glasgow said. “But I’ll be working for the current players, too. I’m not giving up on the returning players.”
Glasgow plans to meet with the team and Starkweather on Thursday afternoon.
“He’s a very high-energy guy,” Starkweather said. “He has a proven track record. He did a nice job in Oklahoma as well as Logan-Rogersville. He really increased numbers.”
Glasgow, although he graduated from Fairfax (Okla.) High School in 1989, attended Pleasant Hope (Mo.) kindergarten through part of his freshman year.
He played two years of basketball at Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa before graduating from Southwest Baptist. He returned to Fairfax (now Woodland) to launch his coaching career with four seasons before the six at Rogersville.
Two of Glasgow’s former Rogersville players are in college ball — Avila’s Alyson Young and Evangel’s Brianna Mingus. Northern Oklahoma-Enid finished 24-7 overall and won the West in 2007-08.