Stover hires familiar face as new coach

Many people thought John Hensley wasn’t coaching anymore.

Before last season, he hadn’t coached at the varsity level since 1993.

After assisting one of his former players — Billy Jefferies — at Tipton for one season, Hensley’s back in the game as a head coach, as Stover hired him to be its new boys basketball coach.

He replaces Michael Marriott and Mike Arnold, who were co-coaches last season.

“I had a difficult time finding a coaching position,” Hensley said. “I was offered four or five jobs my first year out, but they didn’t have anything for my wife. She’s a librarian. She waited 20 years to  get that job. ... I’d been dragging her all around the country for 20 years, it was her turn.”

Stover was the perfect match for the Versailles resident. He lives only a few miles from the school, and his wife, Betty, can keep her job as elementary school librarian at Versailles.

“Stover’s like home. It’s just up the highway. I know a lot of people there,” Hensley said. “I know most of the school board. I coached against coach Marriott. A lot of Stover kids came to my camp. I know a lot of kids on the basketball team. I’ve gone fishing with several of them.”

Stover athletic director Roy Poynter said in a press release that Hensley brings a solid basketball background to the program. Hensley is a good communicator and a strong believer in producing fundamentally sound basketball players and teams, according to Poynter.

“We had several qualified applicants and the administrative staff felt coach Hensley was the best fit for our program,” Poynter said.

Hensley has been coaching since 1974 when he began his career as the Liberty head freshman boys basketball coach.

The 56-year-old coach got his first head coaching position in 1978 at Odessa.

In his first year, he led Odessa to a Missouri River Valley Conference championship, the school’s first in seven years.

Hensley coached for four years at Clinton, leading the Cardinals to a conference championship and the third-best record in school history in 1982-83.

While he didn’t remember his team’s record from that season — he thought they had three or four losses but he does remember how the season ended.

“We lost on two late free throws to Ray-Pec,” in district final, Hensley said.

He began an 11-year run at Versailles in 1986. He led the Tigers to Tri-County Conference championships in 1988-89 and 1992-93. The Tigers won a district championship in 1989-90 and went 179-104 under Hensley.

While Hensley didn’t coach at the varsity level from 1993 to 2007, he has remained involved in coaching. He has held several skills camps and has worked with several Versailles players over the years.