November 20, 2009

Today, is the last of a series of local coaches visiting Rotary for the promotion of the 2009-10 basketball season. Coach Lyle LaRue, the new Head Girls Coach at Obion County Central visits and brings with him Head Boy’s Coach Bill Kail and Cheerleading Coach Eva Essary.

Coach LaRue has fifteen years of coaching under his belt, both as an assistant and head coach. He guided both Dyer County and Crockett County to unprecedented success in separate three-season stints before moving then to Martin, where he’s been an aide in a Westview program that advanced to the state tournament in three of his five seasons there.

He takes over a very successful program at OCCHS, which has averaged more than 21 wins per season it its 48 years of existence and counts more than 1,000 all-time victories and 13 previous state tournament appearances.

Coach LaRue is a family man, his wife’s name is Connie, they have three children, Noah, age 6; Eden, age 4; and Seth, age 2.

Eva Essary is originally from Somerville, TN in Fayette County. She graduated from UTM in May 2004 and began teaching Special Education at OCCHS in the Fall of 2004. She began coaching cheerleading in the Fall of 2006.

In two weeks, we will again enjoy a visit from the kids at Union City Elementary School and members of the "Voices of Union City Elementary School Choir". These kids are under the direction of Nolin Cloyd and always entertain us in fine fashion. They have a busy schedule during the Holidays and Union City Rotary is very lucky to be a part of that schedule.

Last week, the program began with Union City Girls Basketball Coach Eddie Suiter being introduced by Gary Houston, the coach had a little fun with some of the Rotarians and Coach Sisco before he began. He went into some of the history of his coaching career before he introduced some his players, first was Whitney Smith one of his three year varsity members, next was Micha Warford who has also been on the varsity team for the last three years, who he said was his leading re-bounder and free-throw shooter. He also had praise of the two young ladies character.

Coach Shane Sisco then took the podium and had a few jibes of his own for some of the U.C. Staff on hand he also had a story about Tracy Bruff and a golf game.