Heavener hires new girls coach

By CRAIG HALL
HEAVENER—Jeff Walker has been hired as the new girls basketball coach at Heavener.

Walker, the son of successful Fort Gibson coach Jerry Walker, was hired at the monthly school board meeting on Monday.

He was a graduate assistant at Harding this past year and this will be his first head coaching position.

“He’s going to have a good network with his dad at Fort Gibson,” said superintendent Ed Wilson. “He’s got a good background and has somebody to fall back on with his father.”

Walker played college football at Harding and was all-state in football at Fort Gibson.

“We feel like we got somebody who is going to be a great coach at some point and is already a good coach,” Wilson said.

Walker’s brother, David, has coached at the University of Arkansas. Fort Gibson was 24-2 this past season and is one of the top programs in Class 4A.

“His dad has been so successful,” Wilson said. “Jeff has gone out to all the camps and he is a typical coach’s kid.”

Heavener finished 24-4 this past season under Jody Fincher, won the LeFlore County Tournament and came within one game of making the state tournament, falling to Sequoyah Tahlequah in the area finals.