43
Fender will not return as Springfield boys basketball coach
By Tom Williams
NEW MIDDLETOWN
The last thing Springfield High School athletic director Mark Carden wants to do in mid-June is search for a new boys basketball head coach.
But after eight successful seasons as the Tigers’ varsity head coach, Eric Fender has chosen not to re-apply for the position for 2017-18.
“We love him so much that we gave him more time, Carden said Wednesday of Fender’s decision. “Eric deserved that to be certain.
“Ultimately, he chose not to apply.”
Carden said all coaches at Springfield receive one-year contracts.
Fender’s decision came after he lost three of his assistant coaches. Two of them retired. One is his father, Tom, who has been a varsity head coach or assistant for four decades.
A retired teacher at Fitch High School in Austintown, Fender was the Falcons head coach before stepping down to join Poland as Ken Grisdale’s top assistant.
He had a good reason — sons Eric and Chad were Bulldogs and it gave Fender the opportunity to watch his sons play and help them develop.
A 2003 graduate of Poland, Eric Fender played at Mount Union then was hired to teach at Springfield. When he was named Springfield’s varsity head coach in 2009, Tom Fender left the Poland program to become Eric’s top assistant.
In Eric’s time as head coach, the Tigers have been one of the Inter-Tri County League’s best teams. They won five consecutive titles and were in contention for another this past February when unbeaten South Range rallied in the final minute of their second game to sweep the Tigers for the crown.
In 2015, Eric Fender celebrated his 30th birthday with his 100th career win that kept the Tigers’ dream of an unbeaten regular season alive.
He said he spent about six weeks trying to find replacements. When the search proved fruitless, he decided to step down, saying he “knew I couldn’t do it alone.”
Fender intends to coach again.
“I am going to take my time and try and find the best fit for not only myself, but for my family as well,” Fender said.
Carden said the Fender’s success had some in the basketball community skeptical that the Springfield position was really open, saying some potential candidates were reluctant to apply.
“They did not want to step on toes,” Carden said.
No one in the Springfield school system has applied for the position so Carden is sifting through applications from outside the district.
“It’s a difficult time to search, because most coaches have already been hired,” Carden said.
Carden hopes to have the new coach named by June 30. In the meantime, Fender continues to work with the basketball players during their summer sessions.