The Greenwood Junior High Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs are having excellent seasons to this point. The talent and skill levels in grades seven through nine bode well for the future of varsity basketball at H.B. Stewart Arena in the coming years.
Junior high girls Head Coach Ronnie Williams was recently honored for winning his 1000th game as a ninth-grade coach and will be retiring at the end of the school year. His replacement is unknown, but assistant coach Amy Hardy is certainly a prime candidate.
The Jr. Lady Bulldogs are currently 16-2 overall and 10-0 in River Valley Conference play. Coach Williams believes they have a good chance to win the RVC title and compete for the regional championship at the end of the season. The seventh and eighth grade girls are also winning big this season.
As for the boys, Head Coach Jake Hindman, a GHS grad, has the ninth grade Bulldogs playing well of late after a slow start to the season. They are 8-10 overall and 4-6 in the RVC, having won four of their last six outings.
“The 9th grade is playing better than our record shows,” said Hindman. “We’ve lost five games by five or fewer points, and that's on me. I've got to do a better job of putting our guys in a position to win those two or three possessions that change the outcome of the game.
“They have worked really hard all year long, and that reflects in the way they play. We had a game (Bentonville West) where we fell behind 22-4 after the first quarter, but we fought back and had a chance to win and lost by one point in overtime. That shows the resiliency of these guys,” said their coach.
“The seventh grade is off to a great start too. Both teams play fast. It's exciting to watch. They have a lot of good athletes that can make plays. When they move the ball around and play well together, they are hard to stop. They are a fun group to coach,” said Hindman.
“The eighth grade is also playing really well. Their two losses were both close games. We're a few possessions away from being undefeated. There is a lot of skill and potential in this group. When they are hitting shots, they are tough to beat.
“It’s been an encouraging season, and I hope we can keep up the success and continue to build on some of the things we’ve done thus far on all levels. Being from Greenwood, I know it's possible to compete at a high level, like we once did. I want it just as bad as anybody, because I know it's possible.
“This is the job I dreamed of going through college, and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to coach at my alma mater,” added Hindman.
“Coach [Donnie] Husband has been a great addition to the program. I've learned a lot from Coach [Greg] Nichols and Coach Husband.”