Wilkins earns win No. 900
- Thread starter jac57
- Start date
I remember this guy from his coaching in the bootheel. I lost track of him when he moved to Troy and then to Tennessee. Says he won 498 games at Troy.
Mitch Wilkins made a name for himself @ Troy high school ( Near 500 wins ) Mitch's Troy teams were always competitive. The question here is, Can Mitch Wilkins catch Gene Bess in winning basketball game? The Troy Trojans are one of the largest school districts in the state of Missouri @ the present. Troy has dropped down a bit after the Mitch Wilkins departure. I always remember the Troy Trojans as a traditional basketball school but growing pains appear to have moved the Trojans back too being average but I believe they will be back as a basketball power very soon.
I think the story here is Mitch Wilkins graduated from high school in Southeast Missouri who has produced lots of top high school basketball coaches. The school is ' Senath- Hornersville. " I will name four high school graduates from Senath-Hornersville who have made a name for themselves as basketball coaches
1. Mitch Wilkins--class of 1972--Mitch's resume speaks for itself and is now winning in Girl's basketball in Tennessee. Mitch Wilkins was considered one of the top coaches in the St. Louis area and the state of Missouri.
2. Chris Moore---coached @ Senath-Hornersville, South Prescott and now Superintendent of schools @ South Pem. Chris was well on his way as being a top recognized basketball coach but his calling appears to be in School Administration.
3. Randy Benson--Coached @ Senath-Hornersville, Alton, Delta C-7, Doniphan, Risco and others. Randy Benson was considered one of the very best @ his trade.
4. Greg Holifield----Gregg has made a name for himself @ Sikeston High School but Gregg paid his dues by coaching in other schools in South East Missouri. Greg Holifield is also considered one of the best high school coaches in Missouri.
Why did these four guys, all from the same high school become basketball coaches? Was it the school, their parents, the community or they wanted to get out of Senath-Hornersville? The best basketball player from Senath was my friend, Sammy Parker as I remember him well.
Can we name other high schools in the state of Missouri who are producing top rated basketball coaches and there names if possible?
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I remember the first day that Coach Wilkins came to Troy his first son, David was real young, they were pushing him in a stroller. It was a few days before school started. I believe Gene Bess was a great influence on Coach Wilkins coaching, Mitch moved here from Southeast MO. and brought a new style to this area. His style was up-tempo. Half court and full court pressure defense was his forte and most coaches in this area were walking the ball up the floor. I had two sons who played for Mitch and watched many of his practices. They were very intense and competitive. Another thing Mitch brought from SE MO, was he had kids playing a lot in the off season, something they had not done previously. He also had them play at a young age. Most kids are doing that now but they were not then. The 25 years Mitch was here was great times in Troy basketball. There were several times teams that I coached for had some great games against Coach Wilkins teams. Having said all that I am happy to call Coach Wilkins a friend and Congratulate him for his accomplishments.
