In an open letter released this afternoon, Holmes High School Boys Basketball Coach Jason Booher announced his retirement from coaching.
Booher, who led the Bulldogs to a 28-6 record and district championship this past season, says he wants to spend more time with his family before his children graduate from high school and has other “professional career goals” – including writing a book about his journey as a coach following the tragic Carrollton bus crash in 1988 – he would like to accomplish before retiring from education.
In the letter, Booher thanked his former players, assistant coaches, his support staffs, the schools and communities, and his family for supporting him throughout his career.
Over the course of his eighteen-year career as a coach, Booher won two state championships to go along with five regional and eight district titles. Additionally, Booher was named the Associated Press Kentucky State Coach of the Year three times (2009, 2010, 2013) and the 2009 Kentucky High School Athletic Directors Association Outstanding Coach of the Year.
Here is Booher’s letter:
This letter is to announce my retirement from coaching high school basketball. After coaching eighteen years of Kentucky high school basketball (thirteen as a head coach), I am ready to shift gears. God has truly blessed me throughout my career with great players, teams, assistant coaches, and support staffs. It has been a greater ride than anything I could have ever dreamed of eighteen years ago when I first started coaching at Corbin high school as their freshmen coach. I want to thank all my former players, assistant coaches, support staffs, schools and communities for all you have done for me and my family during my career. I also want to thank my wife and two kids for their unbelievable support of me during my career. Much has been achieved on the hardwood, but most meaningfully, it is my player’s development as young men that has mattered the most to me. It has truly been a magical ride!
My son and daughter are in middle school now and both play sports all three seasons of the year. I want to be able to attend their sporting events and spend more time with my family before my kids graduate. I also have more professional career goals that I would like to accomplish before retiring from education. I will continue to share my testimony “From Tragedy to Championships: Surviving Our Nation’s Worst Drinking and Driving Crash” around our state and nation. Writing a book about the bus crash and the magical ride I have been on as a Kentucky high school basketball player and coach is in the beginning stages as well.
I want to wish my team the best of luck next season. We have a really good team coming back next year that will be led by Mr. Basketball candidate, James “Beetle” Bolden. I have confidence in my current staff that they can lead this team to Rupp Arena this upcoming season.
God Bless to ALL & GO BULLDOGS!!!
Photo: Jason Booher/Covington Independent Schools