Jeff Walk is leaving Twin Rivers High School after 20 seasons to join the women's basketball program at Three Rivers Community College. (Paul Davis/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer

Jeff Walk is ready to make his next step in his basketball coaching career.

Walk is leaving Twin Rivers and will coach at Three Rivers next year as an assistant to current women's basketball coach Jack Childress and will take the head coaching duties the following season.

"I am tickled to death," Walk said. "It is the only place that I would've left Broseley for."

The Lady Royals finished last season with a 12-14 mark, losing to Greenville in the Class 3 District 2 final, 66-61, Walk's 20th season with the Lady Royals.

Childress couldn't be happier to have Walk on the bench with him next season.

"He knows how to win and knows a lot about how we run things here," Childress said. "He has a lot of respect for Coach (Gene) Bess, he's a perfect fit."

Over Walk's tenure with the Lady Royals, he had just two losing seasons on his way to winning 65 percent of his games. He had six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1998-2004. Walk feels his experience at the high school level will benefit him at the next level but junior college will be a bit different than the high school ranks.

"Just the style of play is going to be similar as far as Xs and Os," Walk said. "The recruiting part will be a challenge but that is the nature of the beast. Being a good evaluator of talent and getting them to come and play are two different things."

Over Walk's many seasons with the Lady Royals, he became someone people could ask for direction or advice. Now his role may be reversed.

"I don't know what to expect, it is all going to be new," Walk said. "Now I am going to be the one asking the questions, I will probably ask more than my fair share."

Walk is going to be able to get players from a larger area than just the ones that came through school when he was with the Lady Royals.

"The talent level is different," Walk said. "You pick kids from the surrounding area so you have the best kids off the teams they are coming from. At the high school level, you have to deal with what you are dealt."

Next year, the Lady Raiders are looking to have possibly three returning starters in guards Meredith Medlin and Morgan Davis as well as post player Fareedah Washington. The incoming freshman class is solid with the likes of Greenville standout Sara Woodgeard and Twin Rivers guard Kaylee Blue.

"We have a pretty good sophomore class coming back," Walk said. "We have a pretty good recruiting class coming in, I think it should be fun."

The Lady Raiders are still looking to get some more size onto their roster for next season to go along with incoming freshman Kellye Penn out of Portageville. That could somewhat dictate the Lady Raiders' playing style.

"You would have to go with what you got," Walk said. "If we can't find a post player, it would make sense to me that you have to push the ball a little bit."

The successor to Walk will be determined at an upcoming school board meeting. Among the candidates is assistant coach Kelly Null, Walk said.

"She was a really, really great player," Walk said of Null. "She worked hard and always was there. As far as coaching and what she has learned, she has learned how to relate to the kids."