Neal takes over Bardstown girls' program

To fill its open girls’ basketball coaching position, Bardstown looked to the south and found Jamie Neal to head up the program.

“We’ve taken our time and done our research,” Bardstown principal Chris Pickett said. “We wanted to find someone who was best for the program.”

Neal was most recently an assistant coach at Warren Central High School for two years, and before that headed up the Bowling Green Middle School program for six years, helping lay the foundation for Bowling Green High School’s transformation into one of the top girls’ programs in the state.

Neal said fans could expect a fast-paced style from the first-year head coach’s teams, with an emphasis on fundamentals and defense.

“They’re going to get up and down the floor,” she said. “Very defensive-minded — we want to score off of our defense. We definitely want to be a hustle team.”

Bardstown athletic director David Clark said Neal was a “good fit” for Bardstown.

“She’s coming from an area that’s very similar to Bardstown High School,” he said. “She’s very well-schooled.”

Neal takes over for Paul Stone, who resigned in March. Stone recently accepted the position of head girls’ basketball coach and athletic director at Carroll County High School in northern Kentucky.

Neal originally hails from Franklin, just south of Bowling Green, where she played high school ball at Franklin-Simpson, and later played at the University of the Cumberlands and Kentucky Wesleyan.

“I think she’s going to be able to build upon the things that were already established here,” Clark said. “She’s going to have good relationships with females … being able to meet the needs of these young ladies and be a mentor for them off the court.”

Neal said she loves the Bardstown area and is looking forward to mixing it up in the 19th District with Nelson County, Thomas Nelson, Bethlehem and Washington County.

“I just love this area — it’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

She inherits a Tiger team that went 11-18 last season with a lineup featuring several underclassm.

Courtesy of Peter W. Zubaty and the Kentucky Standard.