By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
At April’s USD 428 Board of Education meeting, the school board not only
approved the hire of their new social studies teacher at Great Bend High
School, but also the next boys basketball coach for the Panthers.
Kyle Kriegh was named the new coach at GBHS to replace Tim Brooks. Brooks
retired following the 2020-2021 season after coaching the Panthers the past
five years.
Kriegh spent the previous three years as the coach at Kingman High School,
guiding the Eagles to a 28-34 record.
Great Bend High School Activities Director David Meter says they spent time
following Brooks’ announcement to make the right decision.
"The basketball coach is a high-profile job," said Meter. "Exposure is there with civic groups and radio shows. You want someone that is going to sell the program and our athletic department."
Meter reached out to a few individuals, including Kriegh, to gauge their
interest in the opening.
Kriegh previously coached the Ellinwood High School
girls and applied for the Great Bend coaching position when the district hired
Brooks five years ago. Kriegh returns to Great Bend after serving as the Great
Bend Middle School boys basketball coach prior to his time at Kingman.
"He is a people-person," said Meter. "He'll connect with the other coaches. He has learned a lot more about basketball and what works and what doesn't."
Kriegh was one of three individuals the district interviewed for the position. The
school board also approved the hiring of Kriegh’s wife Maggie as a special
education teacher at Jefferson Elementary School.
"Kriegh was attending Salina South High School when my son was going through high school in Great Bend," said Meter. "They competed against each other, so he is familiar with Great Bend and the Western Athletic Conference."
Brooks posted a 38-59 record in his time as the Panther head coach and went 4-15
this past season.