New Miami loses coach

Boys basketball, baseball coach Morris heading to Mt. Healthy.

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By Rick Cassano, Staff Writer 1:26 AM Wednesday, July 21, 2010

NEW MIAMI — New Miami High School’s search for a head boys basketball coach is starting again.

Matt Morris recently accepted the job, then stepped down after he got a full-time teaching job at Mt. Healthy High School.

“New Miami didn’t have a spot open for a history teacher and Mt. Healthy did,” Morris said. “I had to do what was right for my family. I didn’t think it would be right to teach at Mt. Healthy and coach at New Miami.”

Morris, 26, was the building substitute and head baseball coach at New Miami, so his departure leaves two vacant coaching positions.

“Everybody at New Miami understood,” said Morris, who directed the baseball program for two seasons. “It’s nothing personal.”

Morris is a 2002 Hamilton graduate. He got married last weekend (his wife is Teri) and will be an assistant football coach at Mt. Healthy under Arvie Crouch, who played and coached at New Miami.

Former Viking coaches Jeremy Rogers and Nick Yordy are also on Crouch’s staff.

“I’m happy for Matt and I told him that,” New Miami Athletic Director Kevin Dunnette said. “I thanked him for what he did with our kids. You hate to lose a coach, but in terms of income and supporting their families, they need the job first and foremost. Unfortunately, we’re a staff that’s not adding teachers.

“After the job Matt did in baseball, I was looking forward to working with him in the winter,” he added. “I ran the Miami Valley Conference baseball coaches’ all-league meeting, and there wasn’t a coach there that wasn’t speaking highly of him.”

Dunnette said the basketball and baseball positions will be posted internally before possibly being advertised outside the district.

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