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Sikeston girls basketball coach Matt Schonhoff resigns
SIKESTON -- The decision for Matt Schonhoff to step away from the Sikeston girls basketball program was his own. And he had his future in mind.
Schonhoff tendered his resignation as the head coach of the Sikeston girls basketball team in hopes of furthering his education by completing his specialist degree. The 37-year old has an administration position in sight down the road.
"My family and some very close people to me, we've talked about it for a couple months if this was the right time to do it and what would happen. We thought and prayed about it for a long time and came to the choice of this is the right time to do it," he said.
Schonhoff is coming off the heels of the most successful season in Sikeston girls basketball history, which makes his move a little surprising. He led the Bulldogs to its best finish with a 22-5 record and its first-ever SEMO Conference regular season out-right championship a year after sharing the title with Dexter.
Despite spinning the girls program from a below-average squad to one of the best in the area, Schonhoff's decision to leave the team he's built was not filled with regret.
"The program is in a great spot and we have great kids coming back," he said. "Expectations are going to be high, which they should be. I'm very grateful where the program is at and I couldn't be happier. I'm happy with my decision."
Schonhoff, who has been with Sikeston since the 2009-10 school year, will continue as Sikeston's Southeast Elementary physical education teacher. The only thing that will change is that he will no longer coach.
"I need to finish my specialist degree and move to the next part of my life," Schonhoff said. "To do the degree and coach basketball and teach and family, all that, there's not a whole lot of time to spend the proper time."
Schonhoff has been the head coach of the Bulldogs for the past six years. His first year at the school he served as an assistant for the boys team. Prior to that, Schonhoff was the head coach of the East Prairie boys basketball team.
Schonhoff, who was named the SEMO Conference's Coach of the Year the past two years, leaves with a 95-60 record at Sikeston and a 129-99 overall record with both Sikeston and East Prairie.
Although its not known if Schonhoff's 95 wins is the most in program history, his time leading the Bulldogs has certainly been the most successful.
Sikeston has beaten rival Notre Dame the last six meetings after capturing, what was believed to be, their first-ever win over the Bulldogs during the 2014-15 season. They also defeated Poplar Bluff on the road for the first time that same year, which eventually led to a program-best 13-game winning streak.
Sikeston reached the last two Class 4, District 1 tournament championship games after playing for just one other in 2002.
"You've got to respect what he's done but also what him and his family has decided to do about his future," Sikeston athletic director Andy McGill said. "They've had record seasons."
During the four years prior to Schonhoff's arrival, Sikeston's girls program suffered through a 20-68 record. Though Schonhoff had one losing season, the Bulldogs recorded back to back 20-win seasons after last year. It's the first time in program history that's happened.
"We've built the program to one of the top programs of our area," Schonhoff said. "It's in good standing and it's just the right time to step down."
The open position left by Schonhoff will be filled by Alisha Wills.
Wills, an Oran native and graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, has been an assistant coach under Schonhoff the past three years.
"With her knowledge of the girls coming back and the system being as successful as it has with her and coach Schonhoff, we're going to keep it in-house," McGill said. "Having that relationship with the girls is hopefully going to continue into a successful program."
Sikeston graduates six seniors, three of which were starters. Tyeshia Mitchell, who was named Sikeston's first-ever Bob Gray Award winner for the best girls basketball player in the SEMO Conference as well as a member of the Class 4 Missouri Basketball Coaches Association all-state team, returns for her senior year.
"The appreciation to the school district for allowing me to take over the job when it was open, they allowed me to build it how I wanted to... It led to the success that we had," Schonhoff said. "To build a team that was considered as an easy win to a tough team to take down, it shows the commitment the kids had. They wanted to win and they wanted to be something special. They took it beyond maybe what they thought they could have. With how things ended this year I think there's more respect and notoriety for the program.
"I want to thank the community for their support for our program and making the Field House a tough place to play for our girls. I couldn't have done this work without the support from my staff and family."