Apr 25, 2008 - 04:05:08 CDT
A one-time Century High School basketball player will mentor a one-time rival next winter.Jason Horner, a 1993 Century graduate, has been named the new boys basketball coach at Mandan High School. He replaces Kurt Miller, who resigned in March after seven years at the helm.
Horner returns to coaching in the Bismarck-Mandan area after guiding the Napoleon boys basketball team for two seasons.
"I'm very excited to be coaching in this area again," Horner said. "I've spent most of my life here, and this is where a lot of good basketball is played. I can't think of a better situation to be in."
Horner, a 1998 graduate of Minot State University, has served eight seasons as either an assistant or head coach. First, he was an assistant for four seasons under University of Mary men's basketball coach Jim Feeney. He served along side fellow assistants Juno Pintar - the current U-Mary head coach - and Dwite Gorder.
"My time at Mary was a fantastic experience," Horner recalled. "I learned so much under coach Feeney, Juno and Dwite."
Horner then moved on to United Tribes Technical College, where he spent one season as an assistant men's basketball coach and the next as the head coach. He led the Thunderbirds to a 15-16 mark in 2005-06.
The next stop was Napoleon, where Horner inherited a program that produced a 6-14 mark in 2005-06. Horner's first Imperials' team went 16-8 and advanced to the semifinals of Region 3 tournament.
The Imperials were 9-12 this past winter.
"I had great kids at Napoleon, and I'm going to miss coaching there," Horner said. "The first team I had played hard and got the town excited about basketball again. This last team was hit hard by graduation, but the kids gave me everything they had. People were thinking we'd win maybe five or six games considering how much we lost from last year. But we got nine wins before the district tournament."
Horner takes over a Mandan program that has gone 24-20 over the past two seasons. Four seniors started on a 2007-08 team that went 11-11, but Horner said he'll have a solid foundation to build on this winter.
The lone returning starter happens to be one of the West Region's best post players - 6-foot-7 Bryan Kielpinski. Kielpinski averaged 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game as a sophomore. Jordan Maurer and Jordan Thilmony also saw extensive action off the bench. Maurer and Thilmony, both juniors, averaged 10.6 and 7.7 points per game, respectively.
Horner, who has resided in Bismarck the past 10 years, said he saw some of his future players in action several times last winter.
"My wife (the former Kristy Schaaf of Mandan) and I went to a lot of games in the Bismarck-Mandan area, and I was so impressed with the Mandan kids - especially Bryan Kielpinski and Jordan Maurer," he said. "You could see the talent and the potential in all of the Mandan kids ... at all the levels. I know I'm stepping into a very good situation. The cupboard is definitely full."
Horner said he has the utmost respect for Kurt Miller.
"Lots of people respect Kurt Miller," he said. "He did a fantastic job building up that program. He built it from the grade school on up, and we're beginning to see the fruits of his labor. I'm hoping to continue what he's done and take this program to a higher level."
Brave wrote on Apr 25, 2008 12:59 PM:
Mandan Mom wrote on Apr 25, 2008 6:13 AM:
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