It's been nearly two weeks since Blytheville head basketball coach David Hixson announced his retirement from the coaching scene and the search continues for his replacement.
While the deadline to submit an applications is listed as April 27, the former coach and current athletic director said that the process is gaining speed.
"I'm impressed with what we've got so far," he said. "We're still taking applications but we're also moving forward on the ones we've received and hope to have this narrowed down to about four or five pretty soon."
Hixson said he's received approximately 40 applications and was hoping to have one candidate scheduled for an interview as soon as today but that has been moved to Friday.
While Hixson declined to reveal any names, he said that the district received applicants with a wide variety of experience.
"We've gotten some applications from people just out of college," he said. "We've gotten some from people who have coached longer than I have. We've even gotten some applications from people who've assisted for big time successful college programs. We're definitely not turning a blind eye to them."
Hixson said the decision will be a tough one to make and that there are different things to take into consideration.
"I'm not sure if this would be the best fit for someone's first job out of college," he said. "We also look to see if the person has coached in an area like Blytheville."
Before stepping down to consentrate full time on his athletic director role, Hixson coached BHS boys baskeball for 28 years, including 21 as the Chickasaw head coach.
During that time, Hixson was part of three state championships -- one as a head coach in 2006 and two as an assistant under former Chickasaw coach Danny Ebbs.
The Blytheville senior boys basketball program is rich in tradition, which may be one of the draws of coaches "who've assisted for big time successful college programs," as Hixson said.
afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com