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Hart's return to coaching at Cloverdale a chance to make things right for himself, Clovers
CLOVERDALE — The final actions of a whirlwind week at Cloverdale were winding down on Al Tucker Court as the Clover boys’ basketball team finished practice ahead of the weekend.
It was the first week for the players under new management as the Cloverdale School Board approved the hiring of Joey Hart as new boys’ basketball head coach June 17.
Hart, who coached the Miners to three state title appearances, four regional titles and nine sectional crowns in 13 years at Linton, replaced the departing Karl Turk, who resigned after two years at the helm of the Clovers.
The hiring came with split opinions as the school board voted 4-3 to bring Hart in following his effective dismissal from Linton following two arrests during the 2022-23 season, one for public intoxication on New Years’ Eve, leading to a six-game suspension, and the other for operating while intoxicated March 13, 2023. Hart was suspended from coaching the team in the semistate and state finals as a result before his contract was not renewed in the spring of that year.
At the time of the decision, Hart provided a statement to the Greene County Daily World, stating he wished to return to coaching, and has now done so, though it took some time for the new Clover coach to feel the urge to be on the sidelines.
“It was funny because I didn’t miss coaching near as much as I thought I would,” Hart noted. “As the high school season wore on, the Wabash Valley Classic came around and then sectionals took place, I started to miss it a little bit then.
“I started coaching my sons’ travel team a little bit, my oldest came back and started to help and I realized that a basketball coach is ultimately what I am. It made sense. I wasn’t coaching them because of my mistakes and I felt like I definitely needed to rectify that.
“I coached my oldest, wanted to coach Toby and Jack and wanted to go to a place that likes and supports basketball,” Hart added. “I wasn’t looking for any type of bigger school but the right fit for them.”
Beyond his own internal battles, there were other developments that affected the Hart family.
Hart’s father Joe Hart, who coached the elder Joey Hart at Union Dugger and was an assistant with him at Linton, passed away Sept. 1.
Hart’s three younger children, daughter Ryllee and twin sons Jack and Toby, left Linton and attended North Daviess last year; the family will be split this year as Ryllee, a senior, will remain at North Daviess while Jack and Toby will join Hart at Cloverdale as incoming freshmen.
With so many changes going on, Hart credited his wife for being there to help keep things afloat and help him refocus on what was important.
“I have as good a wife as there is in the world in Brooke,” Hart said. “I don’t ever want to be the guy that my family can’t count on. I let them down.
“I can’t undo the past but I can be there every day for my family. That’s become my priority.
“The boys went to North Daviess last year after being at Linton before that,” Hart added. “As adults, we don’t let them make adult decisions but they had some input in this and they are excited to come to Cloverdale.
“They have friends at Linton and they’ve always been more sociable kids and they’ll adjust well. For them, it’s gaining more friends as they’ll get along wherever they are.”
Meanwhile, the younger Joey Hart, originally slated to attend the University of Central Florida for basketball, reopened his recruitment and went to the University of Kentucky, red shirting as a freshman having played in seven contests, scoring three points in just under 10 minutes of play. Hart has since transferred to Ball State University.
Given the arrests happened in the younger Hart’s senior year and much of the following season was spent on the Wildcat bench, coach Hart said he wanted to make amends in whatever way he could.
“I was losing him,” Hart said. “There was no excuse for the way I was handling things.
“There was a lot going on and people who just saw on the outside looking in that (Linton) has this great team but, for me, I was losing a group of kids I had coached since they were third- and fourth-graders. It’s still not an excuse for the way I handled things for but I have a lot better perspective and priorities now.
“It was challenging for Joey, going to an NBA basketball training facility for a year basically,” Hart added. “He got so much out of it but he had never been in that situation before, being away from home, and I wanted to be a positive for him by him not having to worry about me.
“He’s as mentally tough a kid as I’ve ever been around. It served him well what he went through but he shouldn’t have had to go through that.”
As for the response to the hiring, Hart said he expected to take criticism no matter where he went and was more worried about staying the course than letting words bog him down.
“I’ve developed some pretty thick skin over the years,” Hart said. “It’s hard to complain about how people handle situations that you create.
“I made my own mistakes. I did it and I own those mistakes but I’ve moved on from it. I am healthier and I sure hope I am a better husband and father.
“As far as social media reactions, I hate that stuff for my wife,” Hart added. “As a coach, you learn to accept that nonsense for what it is. You live, you learn and hopefully get better.”
As for the Cloverdale basketball team as it currently sits, Hart said there were a lot of things to like about the current crop of players.
“I was pleasantly surprised with some of the athleticism,” Hart said. “We don’t have 6’4” or 6’5” guys, which would help anyone, but the attitudes have been good and the coachability has been good.
“I’m typically a coach that’s pretty demanding in practice but right now, I’m trying to learn about these kids. I’m not a big yeller or screamer in games because the kids don’t mess up on purpose. We use practice to get better and they’ve been working hard to get better.
“There are some players and even down through the grades, there are some good young kids coming up,” Hart added. “I hope we continue to get better all year and it ends up being a successful year, which I think it will be, and we’ll continue from there.”
While trying not to meddle too much early on, Hart said he wanted to start getting the players used to the gameplan and mindset needed ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“We want to be able to play with pace while limiting our turnovers,” Hart said. “We want to work on being able to get a quality shot with pace instead of something goofy.
“On the other side, with our lack of size, we’re going to have to stay in front of the ball and be able to rebound. We can’t get smashed with four or five shots on one possession.”
For all of the troubles of the past, Hart said the hardwood was a place he belonged and was eager to get back into the swing of things with renewed vigor and purpose.
“It just fits,” Hart said about being on the sidelines again. “I heard from more people than I ever dreamed I would and it’s been a lot of fun the past few days.
“I heard from an old college teammate from Vincennes, Jeff Harrington, who runs the Bloomington Summer League, he told me, ‘I could hear you from two courts away yelling "High hands! High hands!" and I was ready to cry because I had no idea I cared so much about whether you coached or not.’
“There have been a lot of people who have been very good to my family and who have supported us through this,” Hart added. “It’s really good to be back.”