by Hunter Dawkins, Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com
At the Long Beach School Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, June 28, the resignation letter of Long Beach High School’s Boys Basketball Coach; Nick Coln, was accepted by the board. Coln expressed his interest moving closer to home in North Mississippi and proceeding with a new opportunity.
“Long Beach is a great place to work, I made a lot of friends here, we had some challenging times in the last two years but the guys responded well and we played for the district championship both years,” said Coln. “The program is headed in the right direction because the guys bought in and were willing to change and sacrifice for the program and each other.”
The two year basketball coached thanked Long Beach School District Superintendent Dr. Talia Lock, School Board President Tim Pierce, and Athletic Director Rus Badeaux for giving him the opportunity.
Despite finishing the season 4-21, the Bearcats played for the 7-5A District championship and hosted the first round of the playoffs in the new gymnasium narrowly losing to East Central 58-47 in the first round of the MHSAA playoffs. During Coln’s first year, the Bearcats beat ranked team Hattiesburg High School in the district tournament to earn a playoff spot, only to lose to Jackson’s Jim Hill High School 50-46.
The Long Beach School District will search for a new coach in the future, but for now, Assistant Principal Wayne Ulrich will serve as the interim head coach. Ulrich played 5 seasons for the Bearcats and coached basketball for another 7 seasons before moving into administration.
New Athletic Director Shane Rutledge stated, “We are fortunate to be in a position for Coach Ulrich to be able to step into the role immediately and to provide some stability. This will enable the players to continue to make progress everyday.”
Additionally, the board of trustees approved Kevin Carmichael to become the next girls’ soccer coach at Long Beach High School.
Coach Carmichael is a 2007 graduate of Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina and has served as the Director of Coach and Player Development for the South Mississippi Soccer Club since January 2020.
Carmichael has an extensive background in coaching women’s and girls’ soccer including serving as the head coach of the girls’ soccer team for the Granby High School Comets in Norfolk, Virginia.
He has a history of coaching in competitive environments dating back to 2006 when he began coaching in the Olympic Development Program for the southeastern district.
“Kevin comes to us with a wealth of experience in coaching soccer. In particular, he has worked extensively with young ladies from the high school age group,” stated Rutledge. “We look forward to the season ahead.”
