James Halitzka said he had a list of schools that piqued his interest if their girls basketball coaching positions ever came open, and Greenwood stood at the top of that list.
The 38-year-old Halitzka, who coached Bergman’s girls to a pair of Class 3A state championships over the past three years, was named Greenwood’s head girls coach during Tuesday’s school board meeting. Halitzka replaces Clay Reeves, who earlier announced his retirement.
“It’s a quick life change,” said Halitzka, who was with his Bergman team at a camp when Greenwood’s school board approved his hiring. “Greenwood was the number one school where I hoped to coach one day. When it came open, I figured it was the right time.
“The community there loves its basketball, and I look at it as a bigger Bergman. Replacing Clay Reeves is going to be fun itself, but it’s the next chapter and we’ll see how it unfolds.”
Halitzka had been at Bergman for 10 years and compiled a 315-88 season with the Lady Panthers, including an unblemished 43-0 record and a Class 3A state championship in the 2021-22 season. Under his guidance, Bergman won five regional championships and one regional runner-up and finished in the Final Four four times, including a state championship this year.
He also served as the coach at Kennett, Mo., for one year and was at Weiner for three years, where he was also the boys coach. He currently has 430 career victories heading to Greenwood and will get to bring his daughter Jacey, who was a freshman guard and a starter on this year’s Bergman team.
“It’s hard to leave this group,” Halitzka said of his Bergman team. “This has been an exciting group, and Jacey has played with them since the second grade.
“I thought it would be a few years before I would make the move. The Greenwood job, however, only comes open every 10 to 20 years, so I decided to go ahead and take a shot at it.”