Faced with a sudden vacancy, Edinburgh athletics director David Walden had to act quickly to find a new boys basketball coach.
The Lancers didn’t have to go far to find their guy.
Keith Witty, a Franklin College graduate who has spent the past 13 years as a high school assistant at Franklin and Perry Meridian, officially was approved as Edinburgh’s head coach at a school board meeting Monday evening.
He succeeds Drew Glentzer, who departed last month to become the coach at his alma mater, Indian Creek.
“Edinburgh has a very good, supportive community,” Witty said. “I think they’re a small school that looks to have success in athletics, and me coming from a small school, I understand sharing athletes and that side.”
A three-sport athlete up at North Newton High School, Witty had ties to Johnson County even before coming to Franklin College in the fall of 2000. His father is a Center Grove graduate, as is his uncle, Steve, an Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer who coached Ben Davis to a pair of state titles in the 1990s.
During his 10 seasons as an assistant at Franklin under Dave Clark and Jerry Bomholt, Witty got to know both Walden and Edinburgh principal Kevin Rockey. Having a chance to work with those two, he said, only served to heighten his interest in the position.
The Lancers were 6-18 last year but 92-72 in seven seasons under Glentzer, reaching the Class A semistate in 2012. Witty, a self-described old school coach who builds his teams around tenacious man-to-man defense, is hopeful that he can return Edinburgh to those previous heights.
“There’s still talent there,” he said, “and there’s still the ability to get a sectional here and compete at a high level.”
Edinburgh will be one of three boys basketball teams in the county with a new head coach this winter. In addition to Indian Creek hiring Glentzer, Greenwood has tabbed Joe Bradburn to replace the retired Bruce Hensley.
