Bill Eller has been promoted from assistant coach to head boys’ high school varsity basketball coach at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy.
Headmaster Duke Stone, who formerly coached boys’ basketball at Hamilton Heights, returned to the bench last winter and brought Eller in to be his assistant. Stone’s son, Michael, had guided the Hawks’ program the three previous seasons before accepting the head coaching position at East Hamilton.
Eller was out of coaching during the 2008-09 season after spending the preceding 14 years as head coach at Hixson High School. Eller was suspended without pay from teaching and coaching at Hixson in January 2008 because of some students’ accusations of inappropriate behavior toward them. Ultimately the Hamilton County Board of Education voted to overturn the suspension and reimburse Eller, clearing him of any allegation.
“I know from watching him last year working with the kids that there’s no validity to it,” Duke Stone said of the claim. “We’re thrilled to have him. I know he had some struggles finding some places to work. I felt like with him being cleared of that, it was an opportunity for us to get a quality coach of his caliber. I’m looking forward to sitting in the stands again.”
Eller is now in his third school year as physical education teacher at East Brainerd Elementary School. Until Stone contacted him about getting back into coaching, Eller said he was content with watching his son, Ross, play basketball at Loftis Middle School where he’s now an eighth-grader.
“I wasn’t really planning to get back into coaching,” Eller said. “Then I decided maybe I did want to get back into coaching. After coach Stone approached me about it, I sent him an e-mail and he said, ‘Come on over. Let’s talk about it.'”
Eller said Stone talked with him last year about the possibility of taking over as head coach this season. He’ll try to help the Hawks – a National Association of Christian Athletes team that plays against several TSSAA teams – improve on last year’s 16-14 mark.
Hamilton Heights’ new assistant coach is Kevin Wilson, who played basketball for Eller at Hixson