SPORTS

Sterlington’s Caballero headed to Denham Springs

Cody Futrell
cfutrell@thenewsstar.com

Sterlington High School will be going through another basketball coaching search this summer.

Panthers coach Kevin Caballero, head coach of boys basketball since 2007, announced Monday he would be taking the head coaching job at Denham Springs High School near Baton Rouge.

Caballero, a Baton Rouge native that graduated from Redemptorist High School, said it was a chance to get back home and near his family.

“My mom and daughter and her family are down there,” Caballero said. “I am real excited to be near my grandkids. But it is a bit of sadness too because I have been up here for 27 years and have built so many friendships.”

Caballero had several 20-win seasons and won one District 2-2A championship, one co-championship and was district runner-up four times during his tenure at Sterlington during a time when he put an up and down program firmly on the map in Louisiana Class 2A basketball with six consecutive playoff appearances.

Last year, Caballero was The News-Star 2014 All-NELA Small School Coach of the Year.

Sterlington then went 18-9 and made the postseason in 2015.

“We certainly hate to lose him, he has done a tremendous job for us,” Sterlington football coach/athletic director Jason Thompson said. “I am excited for him as it is an opportunity for him to get back to his roots.”

Thompson came to Sterlington three years ago as football coach and athletic director and quickly formed a friendship away from athletics with Caballero.

“He has become a close friend personally to me,” Thompson said. “I hate to see him go.”

After the kind of success on the court that Sterlington has had, it was no surprise that Thompson began fielding inquiries about the opening on Monday morning.

“I got three or four calls just this morning,” Thompson said. “We will begin pretty quickly and interview potential coaches this week some. Then we have spring break next week (week of April 6). We will not be in a hurry. We will make the right decision for our program. I look forward to visiting with those people.”

Connect with Cody on Twitter @cfutrellTNS or via e-mail cfutrell@thenewsstar.com