By Kyle LoJacono
Alan Reed has left the Zephyrhills High program twice before, but this third time will be his last. Fortunately for the Bulldogs his successor was already on staff — Dustin Rowe.
“It is with great pleasure that I announce the new varsity boys’ basketball coach for (Zephyrhills High), coach Dustin Rowe,” wrote Bulldogs principal Steve Van Gorden in an e-mail. “Coach Rowe brings a lot of energy and discipline to a solid program. I have a lot of confidence in coach Rowe and look forward to an exciting season coming up for 2010-2011 school year.”
Rowe, 30, was named to the position April 26, nearly two weeks after Reed, 62, stepped down April 13. The new coach has been on the Zephyrhills basketball staff for three years, the first as an unpaid assistant and the last two years running the junior varsity squad. He is also an exceptional student education teacher at Zephyrhills.
Bruce Cimorelli, Bulldogs athletic director, said some of the reasons Rowe got the job include him being an, “outstanding young man, energetic, hard worker, excellent with paper work, knows the game, on staff and great with the kids.”
Cimorelli was part of a three-man selection committee to find the next Zephyrhills coach.
“I’d like to thank Mr. Van Gorden, Alan Reed and Bruce Cimorelli who were on the selection committee who chose me as the new coach,” Rowe said. “…Coach Reed is quite the father figure. He’s been in basketball for so many years and has taught me a lot about coaching a program. He took me under his wing and I’d like to thank him.”
Rowe moved with his wife, Tara, from Montana, where he had been a high school boys and girls assistant. He was part of a coaching staff that won two girls state titles and was also the head coach of a high school for one year in Montana.
Rowe played small forward in high school while Reed was a shooting guard. Despite their very different positions, there will be little changing from Reed’s system.
“I plan to keep a lot of the same stuff in place,” Rowe said. “We’ll probably run a little more structured offense from last year because we are losing a couple guys that could just go and get a basket whenever they wanted. Without guys like Kyle Farrell and Marquis Jackson we’ll need some more set plays to get our offense going.”
Both Farrell and Jackson are seniors and are among four from the 2009-2010 Bulldogs team that went 14-11. Other departing seniors include Akhil Mani and Tadd Wable.
“Dustin knows he has his work cut out for him, but he’s willing to put the time in to make this the best program around,” Cimorelli said. “I’m looking forward to seeing Dustin coach next year. It should be exciting.”
There is excitement with the new coaching hire, but the Bulldogs are still parting ways with their longtime leader. Reed coached at Zephyrhills from 1975 to 1979, 1981 to 1986 and again from 2006 to 2010 for a total of 13 years.
Reed left the first time to take a job at a high school Punta Gorda. The second time it was to spend more time with his family.
“When I left the first time I was really wishing I’d never left,” Reed said. “This is the only place I really wanted to coach. My son (Stephen) played here too and I coached him all but his senior year.”
Before becoming a coach, Reed spent four years in the U.S. Air Force where he reached the rank of sergeant. He moved to Zephyrhills in 1975 and has lived in the city for all but one year since then.
Reed was a physical education (PE) teacher at Zephyrhills during his first term coaching. He began teaching PE at Raymond B. Stewart Middle in his second stint.
“When I took the job four years ago I said I’d do if for four years and then I’d re-evaluate things,” Reed said. “The fact is my wife (June) is also retiring from teaching at Woodland (Elementary) this year and I just felt like it was the right time.”
Reed said he planned to stay active at the school and support the basketball program when he can. He added that he has a lot of respect for the support both Cimorelli and Van Gorden have for Zephyrhills basketball.
“I have a lot of confidence in Dustin,” Reed said. “He’s been with me for three years and really knows his basketball. The Bulldogs program is in very good hands.”
