Chester considering new basketball coach, TBD

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Chester High School may be looking for a new Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach come next year. Head Coach Mark Riley may be on the outs, according to the word on the street.

On Thursday, Mar. 19, the District School board will be reviewing the non-tenured teachers at Chester, of which Riley is one. There are nine others up for review. It is unclear as to whether or not Riley will be staying but as a non-tenured teacher and a losing record this season, he will be on the hot seat come the 19th.

Typically, the Board reviews all non-tenured teachers in the month of March in order to determine the eligibility of said educators.

"We are always looking out for the best interest of the school," said Chester High School Prinicipal Keith Kittell, "We try to discuss it as a team and make a decision as a team." Whether or not Riley will be on the team come the '09-'10 school year is up in the air.

Riley graduated from O'Fallon High School where he promptly went to Eastern Illinois University. At EIU, Riley studied for and obtained his teaching certificate. He worked as a teachers aide for two different schools all the while teaching night classes for "at risk teens." He then moved on to Indian Creek High School, which is about twenty miles south of Dekalb, Il. This was his first full time teaching position as well as his first venture into coaching. He coached the Freshman and JV teams at Indian Creek. Coming to Chester was his first time coaching a Varsity squad.

"I enjoy working in small towns," said Riley, "The kids are great. The faculty has been great."

Losing Coach Riley would be yet another hard transition for the basketball program, having gone through approximately four coaches in five years. Indeed the Riley was a dedicated coach to the team, despite the 'Jackets losing record. Often times one could find Riley staying late after practice to play pick-up games or pig with a few of the players. During the games, it was easy to see that the Head Coach was emotionally invested in each and every play. As of now, Riley is unsure of what he will do next and is awaiting any decisions to be made by the school board.