Dr. Ken Hamilton is the dean of all coaches at Greenwood High School, one of the most successful prep athletic programs in the state of Arkansas. This season marks his 25th year on the job.
But there is one major distinction between Hamilton and his fellow GHS head coaches – he is the only volunteer in the bunch. He began coaching tennis in the mid-1990s, and he hasn’t stopped since.
“When you’re a volunteer, I’m not sure what my status is among the legends,” he said with a chuckle during a recent interview. “You can only be a volunteer in certain sports in Arkansas – tennis, soccer, and bowling. But you do it because you enjoy the sport and being around the students.
“If you don’t enjoy those then you’re doing the wrong thing,” he said. “I started [coaching] with my three daughters, but I quit every year and renew my non-contract. I’m easy to work with,” he added.
Under Hamilton’s leadership the GHS program has consistently been among the best in the state, including several state titles, the most recent of which was three years ago.
The veteran coach has seen is all during his tenure, including scheduling and rule changes, reconfiguration of classes and conferences, and unpredictable weather. He also must compete with the other fall sports for top athletes, but that’s just part of the job.
The weather issue has already reared its head this season, with their first three matches impacted in some way. The opening match on August 13th was rained out and played two days later. Their August 19th match was cancelled due to extreme heat but may be rescheduled later. Their August 20th match was pushed back to 7 p.m. start to avoid the same issue.
“It’s probably been six years since we’ve had to [cancel] anything,” said the longtime coach, referring to the heat index. “It’s been that long since we’ve had this much intense heat.
“If the heat index gets over 105 there is a warning with no outside activities or practices, and we’ve had 115 to 117. When you’re playing on a tennis court, that’s like playing on a skillet,” said Hamilton.
“So it’s safety first, and Dr. Smith is really good about being concerned for the kids. It’s not about wins, but having fun and being sure to get the whole season in.
“When I was growing up, we were outside all the time and we got used to the heat, but now kids are inside all the time and more susceptible to heat problems,” he added.
“We can play 12 matches a year, allowing for rainouts, which we usually have at least one, so we try to get in at least 10 matches out of the 12.”
The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs started preparations for the season right after the AAA’s mandatory dead period ended in early July.
“I held a few practices right after the dead period was over, but we got serious two weeks before school started,” explained the coach.
“We started practicing five days a week because our first match was August 13th, but we got rained out. We rescheduled it for the 15th and went to Rogers Heritage.
Hamilton has a strange mix of experienced players and inexperienced youngsters this season. He is also heavy on girls and light on boys. There are 13 Lady Bulldogs on the roster, but only seven Bulldogs.
“We have a lot of inexperience on the team for the boys this year,” revealed Hamilton. There are four senior girls on the GHS roster, but only one senior boy.
[Senior] Eli Butler was all-state as a sophomore in doubles, but sat out his junior year. He’s a natural athlete and does really well. He’s upbeat. He used to swim for the Tideriders. He’s lost weight and he’s picked right up where he left off two years ago. He’s going to have a good year,” said his coach.
“[Juniors] Zackery Beshears, Micah Belue, and Jonathan Mitchell are the three who came back from last year. Zack and Jonathan both love tennis. It’s their only sport. Zack has gotten into good shape this year and he’s more serious about his game. He’s going to play singles for us,” said Hamilton.
The coach said that Mitchell could play singles or doubles with Eli Butler, but the Bulldogs needed to find a #2 doubles team.
There are also three newcomers to the boys squad, all ninth graders, at least two of which will be counted on to fill roles on the varsity team, said Hamilton.
“They all played junior high tennis in the spring. Every school in the River Valley has a team,” he explained. “Hopefully two of them will be able to play varsity for us.”
The coach briefly lamented the lack of depth in recent seasons for the Bulldogs.
“We went from winning a state championship three years ago to having only three boys come out for tennis in the spring, so we are concerned about the depth, but it runs in cycles.
“[Students] can’t play two sports at the same time in the same semester,” he continued. “I lose girls to volleyball. There are some girls who could be really good tennis players, but they can’t split time between tennis and volleyball.
“Boys can’t play football (and tennis). So you hope to get boys who are good baseball players, because they use the same motor skills in tennis and baseball. [Tennis] was a spring sport until about 10 years ago, then they moved it to the fall. That was a AAA decision,” said Hamilton.
The 2019 Lady Bulldogs should be very good once again, led by three-time all-star performer Olivia Gaston. The senior has experience playing at the highest level of state competition, and she hopes to win a state title this season, both for her team and as an individual.
“She’s been all-state for three years and has won district, so we’re hoping she will have a great year,” said Hamilton of his prize player. “She’s looking at some colleges and she will definitely play college tennis. She’ll get some good looks this year.”
Not far behind Gaston is Abigail Woodring, also with college potential. Both girls will play singles.
“Abigail could also play college tennis, but she has a lot of other interests,” said Hamilton. “She’s in the performing arts, she’s musically inclined, she sings and plays, and has a lot of other things she likes to do. She’s a very good high school player but probably won’t play in college due to other interests.”
Other experienced Lady Bulldogs include seniors Madie Pelt and Breana Acosta, doubles partners.
“This is Madie’s fourth year,” said he coach. “She’s a senior who has come on strong for us. She’s developed really well. She’ll be playing doubles with Breana Acosta.
“Breana is a real athlete who is quick and covers the court really well. I think they’re going to have a really good year. What we’re looking for now is someone to step up to play on the #2 doubles team with Sarah Beshears.”
The junior netter needs a partner to complete the #2 doubles billing for the Lady Bulldogs. Help may come from any number of candidates including underclassmen Lily Hobbs, Eden Adams, Kennedy Holland, Mackenzie Cannon, Lucia Wilcox, Rebecca Harris, Anastasia Larson, and Lakyn Forester, who fill out the rest of the roster. Cannon, Wilcox, and Forester are freshmen.
“I think we should be competitive in district,” said Hamilton. “I’ll be surprised if we don’t win our district in girls and I’m pretty sure we can win the district in boys. I think Little Rock Christian has the best depth overall.
“But the conference tournament is not until the last of September, so we have nine more matches scheduled before then. Hopefully [we] will get better as the weather [cools] and we get more match time.”
Coach Hamilton also mentioned that for the first time the district has assigned a paid assistant coach to the tennis program.
“This year they’ve brought in an assistant coach, Dexter Pearcy. He’s a Greenwood native. He was at Mulberry for three years, and they brought him on as an assistant basketball coach and assistant tennis coach.
“He’s never played tennis, but he’s learning,” said Hamilton. “He gets along well with the players and knows how to handle students. He’s coming along and learning the game.
“Ted Childers has been with me over a dozen years,” he added. “He’s a volunteer like me who takes time off work to attend practices.”
Overall, Coach Hamilton is very grateful for the past 24 years of fun and success, and he is quite aware that the Greenwood school district is fortunate to have such a supportive administration and community to back its sports programs, including tennis.
“The school has been really supportive of the tennis program,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how Dustin Smith as athletic director has supported all we do and tried to give us what we need to be competitive.
“Some places don’t have the courts we have or the budget we have, so we are blessed. We try to supply [the players] with all they need, and the booster club helps provides them with shoes.”
The Greenwood community courts, located near the softball field on campus, were refurbished before the start of last season, and should be good for a few more years. But Hamilton foresees a time when the school and community will need to build new facilities, perhaps in another location.