Hargrove named new National Park College head men’s basketball coach
National Park College announced a new head men’s basketball coach Monday as assistant coach Dillon Hargrove was promoted to the position.
Hargrove, a Perryville native, was the assistant basketball coach at Little Priest Tribal College (Winnebago, Neb.) before joining the coaching staff at NPC, where he served for two season as the men’s assistant coach and as the Nighthawks head baseball coach this season. He becomes the team’s second head coach since the program’s debut in 2017.
“I am very excited about the position and want to thank our athletic director, Jason Hudnell, and I want to also thank our president, Dr. John Hogan, for the opportunity,” Hargrove said in the news release. “I had a great opportunity to start up the baseball program this year, and we were able to build a good, solid foundation for that program in year one. I am looking forward to focusing on the basketball program, building a great culture, having high academics and being involved in the community of Hot Springs. I appreciate the great fanbase that this community shows Nighthawk athletics. I look forward to getting back to work and being back in the Kettle in August.”
Hudnell said that he is excited to see Hargrove take the reins of the program.
“This has been the plan all along once we brought coach Hargrove on staff in the fall of 2018,” he said. “He brings a tenacity in recruiting and a tremendous basketball mind that our young men and community alike will appreciate. Coach Hargrove has been a huge part of the success we have had in men’s basketball the past two seasons. He has become part of the Nighthawk Family and a friend to me personally. I look forward to the 2020-2021 basketball season under his leadership.”
Hudnell, who served as the head men’s coach since the program’s inception, will continue to serve as the NPC athletic director and head cross country coach while assisting both the men’s and women’s basketball programs for the 2020-2021 season.
“This is a move that I have been contemplating for some time and, honestly, it is a bittersweet moment,” Hudnell said. “The past three seasons have been incredibly enjoyable. The opportunity I have had to coach these young men and hopefully have a positive impact in their lives is one I will forever cherish. Everyone who has ever come through our program has my number, and they know I will help them in any way I can from now until forever.”
Hudnell led the Nighthawks men’s program to a 13-5 record as a club team before amassing a 34-18 record over two season in the NJCAA. The Nighthawks finished as a semifinalist in the NJCAA Region II Division II tournament this year.
“I will still be very involved in both the men’s and women’s basketball programs,” he continued. “My role will be more administrative in
nature as I meet the operational needs of our programs. I will also continue my role as head coach for men and women cross country. This will allow me to focus more attention on our athletic program as a whole. My goal is to become the premiere NJCAA athletic program in our region. I believe our board, administration, faculty, staff and students along with a beautiful campus have us positioned to be the envy of junior colleges across the state and region. I am actively planning now as to how we can continue to grow and expand Nighthawks Athletics.
I believe our student body and community are going to be excited and eager to get behind the Nighthawks in the days to come.”
Hargrove has stepped down as the head baseball coach to assume the duties of head men’s basketball coach. No announcement has been made regarding finding his replacement.
Charity golf tournament set
HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — The 13th annual Hot Springs Village Knights of Columbus charity golf tournament to benefit the St. John’s School Scholarship Fund is set for June 20 at Magellan Golf Course.
The four-person scramble will have a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Registration is $85 per person, and the entry deadline is June 1. Hole sponsorships are still available, starting at $100.
Entry forms can be found at the Sacred Heart website at http://www.hsvsacredheart.com or at the Hot Springs Village Knights of Columbus website at http://hsvkofc.org.
For more information, contact Scott Krantz at 501-781-6493 or scojean@yahoo.com.