Despite winning 75 games in the past four seasons alone, including a covid-shortened season, and winning the first regional championship in school history, Doug Dennison was not brought back to head up the United Red Storm boys basketball program in a recent vote by the United School Board. It didn’t take long for Dennison to find a new program to lead. After a vote by the West Central School Board last night, Dennison will now head up the Heat boys basketball program.
It will be a similar program-rebuild to what Dennison had when he took over the Red Storm program in 2016. Dennison’s first United boys team was coming off a (10-20) season. Within four years, Dennison led the Red Storm to a 20-win season in 2019-20 and 27 wins and the consolidation’s first boys basketball regional championship in the 2021-22 season.
The West Central Heat finished (3-28) this past winter under head coach Dustin Brooks. Brooks stepped down from the position shortly following the end of the season.
In an official statement from West Central Athletic Director Joel Zaiser…….
“We are excited to have Coach Doug Dennison lead our high school boys basketball program. We know Coach Dennison is well respected by officials and coaches throughout the state of Illinois. Having Coach Dennison’s positive energy and ‘can do, will try’ attitude will help foster continued progress and competitiveness for our boys basketball program. West Central School District and surrounding communities should look forward to a coach willing to spend time ‘trusting the process’ to help all ages for this year and hopefully years to come. Best of luck to Coach Dennison and Assistant Coach Ross Parcel for the upcoming high school basketball season. Go Heat!”
In other sports news coming out of the West Central school board meeting last night, Ross Parcel was named the junior high baseball head coach for the upcoming fall season. Also, Jackie Biggs was named the head coach of the Heat golf program. A Colorado-native, Biggs played golf for the Southern Illinois University Salukis. Biggs is a history/social studies teacher at West Central High School. Parcel is a physical education teacher at West Central High School.
