LeQuell Allen stepped down earlier this month as the head girls and boys basketball coach at J.Z. George High School to concentrate on his duties with the Canton Army National Guard.
“We have an upcoming deployment in 2022, and because of that, I was going to miss a great deal of time during the season working with the kids,” said Allen, who has the rank of captain and is the commander of the Canton National Guard. “I didn’t feel like I could only be giving half of my time to both of these teams. I’m going to be gone for two weeks in November and again in January. Then my whole summer is going to be tied up.
“It wasn’t an easy decision because I love these kids. We were looking forward to the season. I saw a lot of growth in both teams last season.”
J.Z. George athletic director Nathan Moncrief understood Allen’s decision.
“We really hated to see him go. Coach Allen is a great coach and a fine man,” Moncrief said. “The kids respected him, and he cared so much about them.”
Allen said he told the kids who are in attendance in school, and also let the ones know who are doing distance learning.
“I think all of them understood my decision,” he said. “Both teams worked very hard last season. I got a late start with the boys, but they really began to come on as the season progressed.”
The Lady Jaguars finished with a 7-19 record, while the Jaguars were 9-15.
Replacing Allen as the boys coach this season will be former Amanda Elzy coach Gerald Glass Sr. Yvonna Macon, who is in her first year at the school, will handle the varsity and junior high girls teams.
Glass last coached basketball from 2014-2016 at Madison Central High School. He led the Jaguars to the state title game in his first season, losing to Starkville.
“I just want to come in and continue what Coach Allen got started and encourage these boys to get better,” said Glass, who led Amanda Elzy to State 3A championships in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. “I had eventually planned on getting back into coaching. I really appreciate Coach (Rusty) Smith and Coach (Nathan) Moncrief for giving me this opportunity to be a part of their staff.”
Smith is the head football coach, and Moncrief is the assistant principal and athletic director at J.Z. George.
Macon is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She is currently in a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary program.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be a first-year coach,” said Macon, who played junior high and varsity basketball at Starkville High School from 2008-2014. “My mission is to inspire and empower athletes to reach their greatest potential and develop them into leaders on and off the court.
“I want to leave an effect on each of my players and push them to achieve their goals. I’m expecting to have a team of 11 girls. We started practice last Thursday to get ready for the upcoming season.”
The Lady Jaguars went 7-19 last season.
J.Z. George is scheduled to start its season Nov. 7 at the Grenada High Cancer Classic.
