By T. Scott Boatright
Coaching carousels have always been a big part of high school athletics.
And sometimes they cross over with administrative carousels, too.
That was the case for former Choudrant High School girls basketball coach Geoffrey Underwood, who recently stepped down from that position to accept a promotion to become assistant principal at CHS.
As a longtime hoops coach for the Lady Aggies, Underwood always managed to produce a competitive squad, guiding the prep careers of outstanding players like Olivia Hennen and current South Arkansas Community College standout Kylee Portilloz along with daughters Grace Underwood Smith and Emma Underwood.
Underwood, who recently became a grandfather while still raising his youngest son Roger, a CHS student, said being able to have more time with his family played a role in his decision, but that his thinking process involved more than only that.
“Getting to spend more time at home with fewer late nights definitely was part of my thinking,’ Underwood said. “That definitely played a factor in it. But as an assistant principal, I’ll be able to affect the lives of more kids, and that’s what it’s really all about for me.
“I mean, let’s face it, I’ll still be going to a lot of Choudrant High athletics events. But I won’t be locked into girls basketball only. And I loved working with the Lady Aggies basketball program over the years. But now I can hopefully make an impact on more students than ever.”
Underwood said it didn’t take much consideration when new CHS Principal Chris Jones moved up from his role as assistant principal and asked Underwood if he would step into that role he had held.
“When Mr. Jones and the administration offered me the opportunity, I just jumped all over it,” Underwood said. “I’m just glad that they considered me.”
Jones, who served as assistant principal under the now-retired Tony Antley for eight years, said the fact he had held the role made him know how important it is and how much he needed the right person – “the right fit” – to take it on.
“I needed to find somebody that was familiar with the community, because Choudrant is definitely a community school,” Jones said. “So I wanted to find someone who knew the community and was familiar with our kids and the ins and outs that goes along with all of that.
“Geoffrey’s always done a good job as a (social studies) teacher in the classroom. He’s taken care of business. He did a great job on the basketball court as a coach – his kids are always disciplined.”
Jones added that the decision truly came down to one major factor.
“I needed someone I could trust and I knew I could trust Geoffrey,” Jones said. “He’s a level-headed guy and I feel like he’s going to do a great job as assistant principal and I’m excited for him. It’s a big opportunity.”
Underwood spent last week on a trip to Washington D.C. with a group of Choudrant, which Jones said shows a lot about his decision in asking the new assistant principal to step into that role.
“He had a group of sophomore through seniors up there,” Jones said. “He’s took care of them – he’s had my son up there with him. It all went well which proves he can fill some pretty big shoes.”
But the fact that Underwood took on that task of handling a group of Choudrant students on their first cross-country trip for the first time in years because of the COVID pandemic shows exactly who he is, Jones said.
“Geoffrey’s all about creating equity and opportunity for kids,” Jones said. “And I think he’s going to have a bigger stage as assistant principal to do that, so I think he’s the right choice and will do a great job in his new role.
“We had taken trips to D.C. and New York in the past, but when COVID hit that it kind of shut all of that down. And Geoffrey wanted to start that back. He’s all about creating opportunities for kids. He invests in kids. That’s just who he is and he’s going to do great for us as assistant principal.”
