MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State University men’s basketball coach Donnie Tyndall announced Monday that assistant coach Joel VanMeter is leaving the program.
“I remember meeting Joel VanMeter when he was an 18-year-old skinny freshman with a flat top haircut and he was trying to make the team here at MSU,” said Tyndall. “I saw a guy that loved basketball and had a great heart. Sixteen years later we won a championship at St. Catharine and another one here at MSU together and he has grown into a fantastic coach and is still the great person he has always been.”
VanMeter has accepted a high school teaching position in Alabama where he also expects to continue his coaching career. A MSU graduate, VanMeter played a key role in helping the Eagles win the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and reach the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
“This was the toughest decision I have ever had to make. Coach T has been a mentor to me and a role model for me from the first week I stepped on this campus,” VanMeter said. “It was the thrill of a lifetime to be part of his staff this season and to be part of the success we enjoyed, However I need to be back in Alabama with my family.”
Before joining Tyndall’s staff in 2008, VanMeter was an assistant coach at Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State for five seasons. Prior to joining the JSU staff, VanMeter served as an assistant coach at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, Iowa Central Community College and St. Catharine (Ky.) College.
During his three years at Chipola, eight of that school's players signed with NCAA Division I schools. The 2002-03 Chipola team advanced to the state semifinals and finished with a 23-9 record. Iowa Central was 23-9 in 2000-01 during one of VanMeter's two years on the staff and had four players continue their careers at four-year institutions. During his one year at St. Catharine, that school won the Region VII championship and earned it first-ever berth in the junior college national tournament.
“I will miss Joel a great deal, but we have been long-time friends and that will never change. I’m so appreciative of his dedication and help this season and the sacrifice he made being away from his family and we wish him all the best,” said Tyndall.
VanMeter is a native of Eminence, Ky. His wife, the former Katy Skinner, is from Oxford, Ala.
“I will always be an Eagle and will be at as many games as possible next season. Again I want to thank DT, our staff and all of our players for an unforgettable year and the opportunity of a lifetime,” added VanMeter.
