BY BOO NEWSOME
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

WARFIELD — Martin County Middle School boys basketball team will have a new head coach for the 2023-2024 season. Principal Brent Haney announced Michael Coleman as the new head boys basketball coach last week. 

Coleman has served as the assistant coach for the Cardinals for the past two seasons.

He graduated from the University of the Cumberlands with a degree in special education and is currently going into his fourth year of teaching seventh and eighth grade special education at Martin County Middle School. 

“I would like to thank God first and foremost for the opportunity that he has given me to be the basketball coach at Martin County Middle School,” Coleman announced. “I want to thank Principal Brent Haney, Superintendent Larry James and the Martin County School District for their support, confidence and opportunity to lead a great basketball program. I look forward to working with all these young men and helping them develop their game and become better students and young men.”

Coach Coleman said he is excited about the upcoming season.

“I think the sky is the limit for the Cardinals this season,” he said. “We lost several key players from last year’s team, but we have several key eighth grade players ready to step in and play. I believe we are good enough to play with anyone in our area.”

Coleman takes over for Coach Josh Penix, who stepped down at the end of last season after finishing with a 17-10 record and runner-up in the Mountain Valley Middle School Conference. 

The team will have to replace key players returning from last year’s team, including Jerrod Haney, Dylan Yates, Knox Maynard, Liam Fields, Bryson Osborne and Aiden Burke. Not to worry, though, the Cardinals have a host of talented incoming eighth graders: Aiden Copeland, Chase Hinkle, Brayden Marcum, Jaxson Pack, Noah McCoy, Dylan Hale, Landon Hager, Spencer Workman, Jayden Yates and Braiden Fannin.