Holmes High School has named its next boys basketball head coach.
Mike Listerman, who spent three years as an assistant under Jason Booher for the Bulldogs, will take over the program on a full-time basis following Booher’s sudden retirement on Monday.
“I am extremely excited about this opportunity to lead the Bulldogs,” said Listerman in a statement released by the school. “For many years they were my archrivals and now I have the great opportunity and privilege to lead this team. The Holmes basketball program is steep in tradition, and I am much honored to be selected.”
Listerman is a household name in Northern Kentucky high school sports. The 61-year old was head coach at Covington Catholic for 11 years, stepping down in 2011, a few months before becoming an assistant at the Colonels’ rival, Holmes.
At Cov Cath, Listerman won six district titles and two regional championships. In 2004, he took the Colonels to the semifinals of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Sweet Sixteen.
Winning 230 games, he is second on the all-time win list at Cov Cath, behind only Dan Tieman. In 2008, he was awarded the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year for Region 3, and was one of eight finalists for the NHSACA National High School Coach of the Year that same year. He has coached the Kentucky All-Stars twice.
Listerman was also a math teacher.
“Coach Listerman is an individual of high integrity, and a highly regarded basketball coach who has had much success in his coaching career,” said Holmes Principal Scott Hornblower. “We are fortunate to have a high quality coaching staff to assist Coach Listerman in leading the Holmes High School boys basketball team.”
As an assistant at Holmes, Listerman has been part of one of the region’s top programs, one that fell a few points shy of back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 this past season when the Bulldogs fell to Cov Cath, the eventual state champions, in the 9th Region final.
The River City News is expecting more on this story and will update this post as soon as more is known.
-Michael Monks, editor
Photo: Jason Booher (front) and Mike Listerman on the bench during a February Holmes loss to Newport Central Catholic/Brian Frey for RCN