Eddie Mathews is back.
Limestone has again tabbed Mathews as the boys basketball head coach, pending approval from the District 310 school board at the June 23 meeting. The “Brimfield Bomber” spent nine seasons with the Rockets, winning 124 games from 2011-2020 and highlighted by a Class 3A state third-place finish in 2013.
“I’m excited,” Mathews, 65, told the Journal Star. “I’m happy to take the reins again. I haven’t really lost any passion for the game that’s been such a big part of my life. I really like these kids that are in the program.”
The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association hall of famer served as an assistant under Willie Coleman for the last two seasons. Coleman resigned in March following four seasons at the Bartonville-based school, posting an overall record of 33-84 and 13-43 mark in league play.
Mathews steps into a program that went 9-20 and 3-11 in the Mid-Illini last season, ending the season on a six-game losing streak.
“The expectations will be high,” the former Bradley men’s basketball player said. “The Mid-Illini Conference is a very good conference with really good coaches. We’re going to have to step up a lot of things that we do, and looking forward to that challenge.
“We’ve done it before and by golly, we can do it again.”
He credits his time an assistant under Coleman as well as former Dunlap head coaches Patrick Pokorny and Corky Card for making him a better all-around coach.
“I value those experiences that I have with them,” Mathews said, “and I’m looking forward to jumping back in with these guys that I’ve built relationships with over the last couple of years at Limestone.”
One bond he’ll look to continue to foster is that with his son and former Limestone standout, Hank Mathews. The younger Mathews just completed his first boys basketball season as the Collinsville head coach.
So, is a Limestone-Collinsville meeting on the horizon?
“Something will unfold with that,” Eddie said. “Nothing’s done yet.”
Now, the offseason work begins for the Rockets, who are scheduled to play at the Richwoods Shootout in June.
“We are going to get ready to go starting right away,” the former Peoria Notre Dame head coach said. “We just got to build that foundation, and start getting a winning climate in the program where we can go back out and expect to win some games.
“Not hope to, expect to.”
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Limestone set to hire hall of famer as new boys basketball coach
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
