DECATUR -- Since the retirement of Bill Niven last May, the Decatur School District has searched for a suitable replacement to take over the girls' basketball program at Decatur High School. Fortunately, the school system found a perfect candidate to fill that position.
John Unger, Decatur Athletic Director, announced July 7 the hiring of Jeff Melton as the new Decatur High girls' basketball coach and seventh-grade science teacher.
Melton is no stranger to the Decatur program, having grown up in Gravette and spent time in Peterson Gym.
"I'm very familiar with the culture here in this town and this school," Melton said. "I'm very excited to be able to help these girls learn the game."
Last May, Melton received a master of arts in education from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The Decatur program will be his first year in, what is hoped to be, a long career as a coach.
"I'm a little bit nervous about it, but I'm excited about it as well," said Melton. "I didn't expect my first coaching position to be what this is. But I think this will be a great opportunity to learn from coach Unger and coach Porter and the other coaches in this building as well."
Over the last several years, the girls' program has struggled. When Niven took over three years ago, he inherited a program that saw low numbers and lack of interest in basketball. In the time he was at Decatur, Niven began to turn things around. The 2014-15 season saw an increase in junior high participation. Girls in the program on both the junior- and senior-high levels were more dedicated and genuinely interested in basketball.
"I left the girls' basketball program in much better shape for the next coach than when I inherited it three years ago," Niven said.
Melton will expand on Niven's work. He will continue to push the basic fundamentals of the sport while focusing on the emotional side as well.
"The one thing I want to really focus on is to teach these girls to play hard," Melton said. "Play together, play as a team, and play with a heart. We are going to focus on the things that we can control. The thing that you can control is the amount of effort that the girls are willing to put into practice as well as the game."
One area Melton wants to improve is the fan base for the girls' basketball program. While it has grown over the last two years, it is not close to that of the boys' program. This will not be an easy task for the new coach.
"It's going to be a struggle in the beginning because they won't know this system that I plan to implement," said Melton. "But I am hoping that, by next year, the fans will be able to come in and be able to say, 'Hey, I'm liking the efforts I see out of these girls and it is fun to watch, just like it is fun to watch the boys."
Melton is planning on lighting up the court in the coming season. He hopes to match the same intensity levels with that of the boys' program.
"I would like environment to be home-court advantage for both teams," said Melton. "Get the girls in there and have the fans in there rocking and rolling and have a loud gym for the girls, and the boys come in right behind them and it is the same kind of atmosphere."
Unger believes that Melton was the right choice to continue the work Niven started, moving the girls' basketball program in a positive direction.
"I"m excited about Jeff being our girls' basketball coach. He has a good basketball mind, lots of energy and the work ethic that will make our girls' program successful," Unger said.
"Coach Niven left the program in good shape, and I think Jeff will continue to build the program and have success on and off the court at Decatur," Unger added. "We are looking forward to working alongside him in the coming seasons and watching him build the program into a winner."
Sports on 07/15/2015