After spending the last three seasons coaching the Roland Lady Rangers basketball team, Scott Nelke is heading back across the border to become the Greenwood (Ark.)
Lady Bulldogs basketball coach.
“No matter what sport, Greenwood has always tried to be the best at what they do,” Nelke said. “When we went over there and looked at the facilities and talked about the program, they do things right. That’s something I want to be a part of. They have a long-running tradition in girls basketball. They have been pretty successful over the years. It was something that I wanted to try to go help and try to win more games. That was the big reason. I also wanted to get back into Arkansas to help my retirement.”
Nelke’s successor will be Central Tigers coach Caleb Cawhorn.
After spending her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons as a Lady Ranger, Nelke’s daughter Ryanne also will be heading to Greenwood.
“It’s really exciting,” the new Greenwood coach said. “We get to finish something we started. We thought it would be at Roland, but this was an opportunity for my family for something down the road. After Ryanne graduates and does whatever she’s going to do, I’ll still be coaching. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me and my family.”
Nelke said he believes during his three-year tenure as Lady Rangers coach that he just added onto the program’s success, for which he is pleased.
“When I came on deck, it was already inn pretty good shape,” Nelke said. “(Former) Coach (Scott) Lowe did a great job, then (former) Coach (Greg) Pratt (now coaching the Sallisaw Lady Diamonds) came and was (Class 3A) state runner-up in 2021. So, Roland Lady Rangers basketball has always had pretty good tradition. I think we added three good years to it. We went to the state tournament twice. I think there’s some kids left that will be good for Coach Cawhorn when he gets there with Halle Freeman and Lillian Cole, who will be seniors. I think he (Cawhorn) will be OK. I’ll say we added to it (the program’s success). We added to what tradition they had. I couldn’t speak more highly of Roland and how they treated me. They treated my daughter great. We had a good run over there. It was a great place to work with great people.”
Nelke believes Greenwood will be a good fit for him.
“We’ve been over there,” he said. “We met with the team. We’ve had a couple of workouts, and it’s went well. We’re excited about the future. It’s a change. Change is good sometimes. It’s going to be good for us.”
Editor’s Note: There will be a meet and greet with new Roland Lady Rangers basketball coach Caleb Cawhorn beginning at 7 tonight inside the high school commons. Also, look for a more in-depth story about Cawhorn becoming the new Lady Rangers basketball coach in next week’s edition.
