SHSUCardinal

But anyways, I am very happy for Clint. He will do a great job. Good luck and take care everybody.

I am no longer a middle school coach. I have went on to win another state championship in basketball and one in football.

Clint will do an outstanding job at Kelly. I can testify for him because he hired me a few years ago to coach with him at St.Annes and I know personally how great of a coach he is. He is a hard worker, great with x's and o's, scouts and watches film as good as anyone, and more importantly, he is great with the kids. If I were still in the Beaumont area, I would ask him for a job. I would go back to the private schools to coach with him again. I have had the opportunity to work with some great coaches in my career, and he is one of the best I have ever worked for or with. I'm very happy for you Clint. I know you will do well. Take care and good luck buddy, Cody M. Plake

I think UOS can be a good thing. Especially when the players are weak. If UOS is done correctly, it will build athleticism and make the players stronger. This is important, especially in the playoffs. As I have been reading this thread, I have kept wondering why UOS is such a big deal. Do the players at HF not have an open gym schedule ? Are they not playing on Saturday or Sundays ? Are they not playing AAU, Spring ball, Summer ball, and Fall ball ? If they doing all of these, the weights should only help them get stronger. I think this thread alone is hurting any future applicants that might have considered applying to the HF job. I know of 2 good coaches that did not apply due to the complaining and griping on this board. They told me it wouldn't be worth their time and the money at HF isn't great. I hope HF does turn things around. It is a good school, that is just in a hard district.

Congratulations to the Evadale Rebels Basketball Team. I am very proud of you. You guys are keeping the Basketball tradition alive. I was fortunate enough to play for Evadale in the late 90's under Coach Terrier and I had the honor to be a Student Coach for the 2000-2001 team. I thought of a unique coincidence today regarding Baseball and Basketball success at Evadale. In 2000 the Baseball made it to Austin and won the state title in Baseball and we won the State Championship & Texas Cup in 2001. Last year the Rebels made it to Austin again in Baseball, so hopefully the Basketball team will win the State Championship this year. Bring home the hardware and get your State Championship Ring. You would be surprised how many opportunities you can receive with winning that ring. GATA Rebels. Coach Plake

Well George may be one of the best players in the area in a year or two. He is one of my favorite students that I have ever coached. He's a very hard worker, and a great person to be around. I have a lot of respect for him and his family. As much as I would like to see him stay in Spurger, I just want him to be happy. I think Spurger will be a lot better than people think (again). They have some pretty good guards, and the kids are a great group to be around. If you guys from Spurger ever need anything, just leave me a post. I'll still be keeping up with you. Coach Plake

I never comment on this website. I normally just read the information and see how certain teams are doing. However, I am going to comment on this one. My name is Cody Plake. I coached for Coach Stapert for 2 years at Spurger. I consider him one of my best friends. I do not know for sure if he is going to Kirbyville, but if he is, he needs to be the one to let the kids know. Not someone on the internet. That's just a respect thing. I'm sorry if that sounds rude, but that's just how I feel about that. In my 2 years at Spurger I learned more about Basketball and Life than any other time in my life. Coach Stapert is an amazing person. He is always there to help the kids when they need help and he devotes his life to all students he comes in contact with (not just the Basketball Players). He worked his tail off and made Spurger a lotttttttt better than when he first arrived. At one time, Spurger was laughed at by everyone (I remember, because I used to laugh at them). Now it is a place that is respected by everyone across the state. There was a comment about this year being a product of The Little Dribblers Program. That is true and that is not true. The Seniors this year are what made the team they were this year (not the freshmen)(the freshmen were good, but they weren't the one's that led the team). I had the honor of coaching them (seniors) for 2 years and I wouldn't trade those relationships for anything. Those kids were fun to coach. It was amazing to see how far they had came (not only as basketball players, but more importantly as individuals). I went and watched them play a playoff game against Broaddus and it was so much fun to see the kids respond to Coach Stapert and do exactly what he told them to do. Spurger does have a bright future ahead of them (if all the kids stay in Spurger). The underclassmen are an exceptional group. We had great practices when I was there. They went all out, all of the time. They are hard workers, respectful but most importantly they are great kids. If I were still in the Golden Triangle, I wouldn't hesitate to coach them again. I wish them the best. In Conclusion, I wish Spurger the best of luck and seniors if you need a letter of recommendation for college let Coach Stapert know and I'll hook you up. Good Luck Pirates !!! Cody M Plake