High school basketball notebook: King resigns at Waynesburg
Observer-Reporter
Kirk King had a 35-72 record in five years as the Waynesburg boys basketball coach.
Kirk King spent five seasons as the Waynesburg High School boys basketball coach.
After spending the past five seasons as the Waynesburg High School boys basketball coach, Kirk King has resigned.
King and his four assistants, Ryan Hurd, Ty Negley, Corey Dispenza and Chris Harmon, each decided to walk away because of various reasons.
“For me, talking to my assistants and pondering where we were at with things, the timing just seemed right for all of us. No one reason that we decided. The timing just seemed right,” King said.
King went 35-72 in five seasons with the Raiders, missing the playoffs in each of the last four years. In King’s first year, Waynesburg went 11-9 but lost in the first round of the postseason. Waynesburg had nine wins in each of the past two seasons while playing in a section that included Ringgold, Belle Vernon and Uniontown.
Waynesburg ended each of the last two seasons with nine wins, including this past year when all five starters were seniors.
Of King’s assistants, former Raiders Hurd and Negley had been with the program for five years. Dispenza had helped for four years and Harmon for the past two seasons.
“My assistants and I are most proud of the relationships we’ve fostered with our players,” King said. “Mentoring was our main focus, and I don’t know if you hear that a lot. Coaches always say they are teachers. Well, we wanted to be mentors. I’ve had nothing but unwavering support from my family, the school board, administration, boosters and my assistants. I never had any hesitation about that.”
When the WPIAL releases the new sections for the next two basketball seasons, Waynesburg will bump down from Class 4A to 3A.
- Speaking of the basketball realignment, the WPIAL has already approved the updated section alignments at its monthly meeting in April.
Despite being approved, the district won’t reveal the sections and schedules because the PIAA has yet to release information on schools having to move into a higher classification because of the competitive-balance rule.
The rule, which only impacts basketball and football, was enacted by the PIAA two years ago. The upcoming school year is the first time teams could be forced to move up. It takes into consideration enrollment, success and athletic transfers to determine competition classification.
The PIAA could complete that process in early May.