If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then James Halitzka surely thinks a lot of legendary girls basketball coach Clay Reeves. As pointed out in our previous article from June, both men followed similar career paths in their 20s and 30s, including winning multiple state titles at much smaller schools before landing the head coaching job at Greenwood at age 38. Now they share something else they both would rather not have happened – a health scare that caused them to step away from coaching for a year.
On Friday, September 28th, the Greenwood School District and Athletic Director Chris Young announced that Halitzka has resigned his position as head coach of the varsity girls basketball program to concentrate on improving his health. Young said the district has named Ryan Casalman as Halitzka’s replacement for the upcoming season.
The official announcement on the district’s website reads as follows: “Greenwood High School is pleased to announce Ryan Casalman has been assigned as the head coach for the girls basketball team for the 2024-2025 season. Coach Casalman brings extensive experience, having previously coached at Westark Community College, Greenwood High School, and County Line High School.
“He most recently served as Greenwood's 9th-grade boys basketball coach. Ryan Casalman's deep ties to Greenwood and his proven success in building competitive basketball teams make him a natural fit to step into this leadership role. The Greenwood School District looks forward to the continued success of the girls basketball program under his guidance. We are excited to have Coach Casalman leading our girls basketball program for the upcoming season.”
In a meeting with Young a week earlier, Halitzka cited health issues as the reason for resigning from a position he had long coveted. He took over the job after Coach Reeves announced his retirement last spring after leading Greenwood to its third consecutive state title and eighth championship overall during his tenure. The two men were all-star coaches this past June, leading the West squad to victory. Halitzka was hired before all-star week but now departs less than two months before the Lady Bulldogs open their season November 14th at home against Fayetteville. He said it was better to make such a difficult decision now than possibly do it after the season started and put his team at a huge disadvantage trying to adapt to another coach mid-season.
"I've decided to take the rest of the year off and get my health better, and I hope to be back to coaching after that," said Halitzka. "I had a little concern about my health late in the summer, and it's something I thought about hard over the past two weeks. The decision was a tough one to make. This would have been year 16 for me, and I've never missed a game except for an ejection. When you consider all the teams I've [coached], that adds up to around 1,500 games."
Just hours before taking his own team to Springdale to face Shiloh Christian, with a possible conference championship riding on the outcome, head football coach and athletic director Chris Young presented Casalman as the Lady Bulldogs’ new leader. He also expressed support for Coach Halitzka’s choice, despite its unfortunate timing.
"I support [his] decision," said Young before the official announcement. "It's sad to see him go, but our health is more important. We have to take care of ourselves. Obviously, we are disappointed. He and the girls were working well together. I was upset at first when he told me, but I understood when he brought up his health. I support him, and I wish him the best. It's not the ideal situation and this is nothing we saw coming. But the girls have worked extremely hard, so we need to do what we can so they can be successful.”
Age 50, Casalman has coached at Greenwood before and returned last year to lead the junior high boys basketball program. He is also head coach of the GHS golf program. The well-liked coach will now move up to the varsity level, at least for this season, to take over a program known for winning championships, but also one that lost three key starters to graduation and will be challenged by conference realignment and the arrival of Farmington, not to mention a much-improved Mountain Home squad. Thankfully, he does have considerable talent and experience returning in starters Izzy Smith, a senior, and junior Kylah Pearcy. However, Halitzka’s departure also included his daughter Jacy, who was a likely starter at Greenwood after starting as a freshman on Bergman’s state championship team last season.
While Coach Casalman has been pre-occupied with the end of golf season, taking his Lady Bulldogs to the state tournament in Paragould and Bulldog Everson Adams to boys’ state in Hot Springs, he has already spent several days getting acquainted with his new team on the practice floor. To say the least he is excited about the opportunity to succeed Coach Reeves and Coach Halitzka and continue the winning tradition of Lady Bulldogs basketball.
“I coached girls for 13 years at a basketball-rich school,” said Casalman during a recent interview, referring to his time as head coach of the Lady Indians of County Line High School. “The County Line girls have been successful at the state level [in the past], and we had success throughout my time there. Then I had the opportunity to come to Greenwood and coach ninth-grade boys and had no inclination or desire to be the head girls coach.
“But when Coach Halitzka resigned, I talked to administration about my interest in the job,” he continued. “I told them I’d be willing to help, and that’s what happened. I don’t know if they talked to anybody else. I didn’t ask. I just knew I had experience coaching girls basketball and I’ve been at Greenwood for two different stints for 12 years or so. I didn’t think I was the obvious choice, but I thought I was an option they might look at. But it wasn’t confirmed until probably Friday morning when Coach Young asked me to meet with [Superintendent] Mr. Ciesla to talk about the job.
“I told them I know I can fix the situation and do the job, and those girls deserve the best situation they can get. They’ve been put in a tough spot and I’m glad to help. I’ve probably had more basketball head coaching experience than anybody except for Coach Ross. I don’t know if it’s a curse or a blessing, but I’m the oldest coach on staff in the basketball program.” B.J. Ross is the Bulldogs’ head coach and was partly responsible for bringing his good friend back to Greenwood last year.
Asked about his former position as the freshmen boys head coach, Casalman said, “As of right now, Mike Possage will take over the duties of the ninth-grade head coach. I don’t know what they are going to do about eighth grade. Right now, he is doing both. But we also have Coach Ross and Coach [Dexter] Pearcy available. We haven’t gotten into the season yet to see how it’s all going to play out.”
Asked about his future with the Lady Bulldogs, Casalman said, “We haven’t talked about that. When we talked about this job last Friday, they said they would have to open this position at the end of the season, [and I agreed with them]. When they tried to gauge my interest in extending my time with the girls program, I said that’s a conversation we probably need to have in March or April. I’m a lucky guy to be able to step into that office and coach these girls. We lost some players, but we’ve still got talent in this gym. It’s a storied program statewide and Coach Reeves was the best girls coach I’ve ever been around. But give us a season to feel things out and see where it goes from there.”
Asked to further discuss his relationship with Reeves, the new head coach said, “When I was first here, they hired him my fourth or fifth year here, and Coach Ross was his assistant for about two months before he went to Charleston, so I was essentially Coach Reeves’ assistant for that summer. I went to team camps with them, and I’ve known Coach Reeves even probably longer than that. We’ve talked regularly, even when I was as County Line. He did call me when I was at state golf last week, but it had nothing to do with basketball until I brought it up. He said I could call him any time I wanted to talk. We are friends and I kind of expected him to do that.
“I want our girls to be comfortable and me having a similar philosophy as Coach Reeves helps. I like to play fast offensively, and we like to be aggressive defensively, and that’s what he was all about. I would never hesitate to call Coach Reeves. We are different coaches, but our philosophy is very similar,” said Casalman.
“We lost three college basketball players off our team from last season,” he continued. “But it’s been a whirlwind. I had golf last Monday and Tuesday [at Paragould]. I met the girls last Friday and this Wednesday was my first practice. I’m just trying to get a feel for them and let them understand where I’m coming from. I told Coach Ross we’ve still got talent here. We’ve got two starters back with Izzy Smith and Kylah Pearcy, who are both really good players. Pate Jones is a senior who played minutes last year on that state championship team. She would have started at a lot of other places. Then we have Ashlin Rose at the post. She gives us good size and she’s a year older and a year better. The cupboard is not bare. We’ve got a chance to be successful this year.”
Other returning players with experience who could vie for starting positions include Journey Clements, Jenna Honkala, and Piper Pitts, not to mention last year’s sophomore class and a new crop of freshmen moving up to the varsity level this season. “I’m not Coach Reeves or Coach Halitzka, but I have high expectations for these girls. I’m going to coach them hard and love then hard. There may be some tweaks here or there, but it’s going to be a good mixture, I hope.”
Casalman said Coach Halitzka met with his team on Friday, September 21st, to announce his resignation, a full week before the new head coach was named. “I don’t know if that was a good thing or not. I think the girls were starting to get a little antsy about who it was going to be. Then Coach Young introduced me to the girls in the hospitality room as if they didn’t know me, and that was kind of funny. But when I walked in, they all started clapping and that made me feel good as the guy stepping into that [position]. I want them to be happy that we’re going to do this together. I think it’s good that I’m somebody they’re familiar with. I see them in the hallways and the arena every day. I have a pretty good relationship with most of these girls.”
Casalman also talked about the role played by assistant coach Ryan Lensing, who has been through a similar situation before when Coach Reeves stepped away during the 2018-19 season for health reasons. That was Lensing’s first year as a coach, but now as a seasoned veteran he took the reins and conducted practice during the interim period before the new coach was named.
“He had them by himself,” said Casalman. “Coach [Amy] Hardy and Coach [Lundon] Lensing from ninth grade were here with them. But Ryan did a great job for the spot he was put in. He handled it like a champion. I told them all, it’s us. It’s not just me. It’s Greenwood’s program and I just want to put my stamp on it, but I’m going to give Ryan a lot more responsibility than he’s had in the past. The transition has been about as seamless as it can be, and it’s only because of him and the girls.”