Taking Barton higher

A new challenge has led to a significant career milestone for Ryan Koerdt.

The 46-year-old won his 400th game as a head coach Tuesday when his Barton Lady Bears beat Carlisle 62-29. The victory was especially notable because it also gave the Lady Bears the 2A-6 Conference championship in his first season with the program. But for Koerdt, it also signaled something else.

“It means I’m getting old,” he said. “Seriously, I’ve been fortunate to have really good players that work hard and have bought into what I’ve tried to teach them about the game of basketball.”

Koerdt, who’s been coaching for nearly two decades, has guided teams at Emerson, Mountain Home, Sheridan and White County Central. He took some time off after spending the 202021 season at Russellville when he took the Lady Cyclones to the second round of the Class 5A state tournament. But he returned during the summer of 2023 to take over at Barton where’s made an immediate impact.

A year after finishing third in the conference and playing in a regional tournament game, the Lady Bears have taken the next step. Barton (22-3, 11-0) has won nine consecutive games and 16 of its past 17. The three teams that have beaten the Lady Bears — Rivercrest, Stuttgart and McGehee — are a combined 44-27 and in the top half of their respective conferences.

Led by sophomore sensation Da’Mya Wilson, who scored 44 points during a key 66-53 victory at second place Des Arc last week, Barton can close out the conference portion of its schedule undefeated with a win over Marianna today. Afterward, the Lady Bears will have their eyes set on making a similar trek through the postseason, which is a place Koerdt knows quite a bit about.

In the previous five seasons that he’s been a coach, Koerdt directed White County Central to four straight state tournament appearances, including the team’s first in 2017. He would then take Russellville to the playoffs in his only season at the helm.

“I’ve coached in all areas of the state, and being at Barton has been really enjoyable,” Koerdt said. “Working for Dr. Bruce Guthrie [superintendent], Scott Carpino [principal] and Coach Steve Sexton [athletic director] has made me feel like this is where I belong. I am thankful for all the schools I have worked at and the opportunity I had to coach.

“My girls team this year is currently 22-3 and undefeated conference champs, so it’s been great.”