WRV grad makes a family decision

Photo courtesy of University of Southern Indiana NOT COACHING ANYMORE: White River Valley High School graduate Marc Hostetter has stepped down as assistant basketball coach at the University of Southern Indiana. He stepped down to spend more time with his wife and two sons.

The next few months will bring major changes for Marc Hostetter, and he's looking forward to every minute.

He will actually get to spend Thanksgiving with his family, and this winter he'll be able to spend time with his family on the weekends.

That hasn't been the case the past several years as a college basketball assistant coach.

Hostetter -- a 1993 White River Valley High School graduate -- has given up his job as the University of Southern Indiana's top men's basketball assistant coach to spend more time with his family.

And he couldn't be happier.

"During the season it's every weekend (away from his family), and most Tuesday and Friday nights we don't have a game I'm out watching someone else (at high schools recruiting)," Hostetter told the Greene County Daily World on Wednesday morning. "We have two boys now, and I got to the point that I have to think down the road instead of right now. I'm young enough to make a transition and get out there in the real world."

That real world includes his wife Nikki and their two sons Leo, 5, and Landon who was born in December.

Hostetter, 33, is the son of Kenny and Sherri Hostetter of rural Lyons.

Hostetter began his new career as an agent at the insurance company Freeman, Will, Niemeier & Heston last week.

"There's no doubt about it. It was one of the biggest decisions of my life. I was telling my wife, outside of getting married and my two sons being born, this was one of the biggest decisions of my life," Hostetter explained.

"(Being involved with basketball) is something I've done since I could walk. I'm looking forward to having a Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I've never done anything in the winter. I'm looking forward to seeing what that's like."

Hostetter played for USI after leading WRV to the 1993 semistate championship game at Evansville. He helped USI win a Division II National Championship.

Rick Herdes is the current USI head coach, and Hostetter was his first hire when he took over in 2001.

"(Hostetter has) been an integral part of this program for many years and he will be missed badly," Herdes told an Evansville newspaper.

Hostetter finished as USI's all-time leader in assists and helped the team to two National Title game appearances, winning in 1995.

He joined the coaching staff as a student assistant under Bruce Pearl -- now the head coach at the University of Tennessee -- in 1997. He also was an assistant for two seasons at what was then called Longwood College, a Division II school in Virginia. Longwood University, as it is now known, has moved up to Division I.

Hostetter returned to USI as a full-time assistant in 2001.

When Herdes was under consideration for a couple of Division I coaching jobs after the 2006-07 season, Hostetter was a leading candidate to replace him.

"I felt like I had put in the time and had been pretty successful. I thought I would have been a strong candidate," Hostetter said. "I would have went after it as hard as I could at that time. But I don't regret not getting that chance."

If he had, he would have had other major decisions to make.

"I don't feel like that's a place to retire from. I would have moved up and on, and I didn't want to move my family all across the country. I grew up in the same house all my life, and I'm at the point I don't want to move my family," Hostetter explained.

"When you're green and young, you think you're going to make the SEC or the Big Ten. I would have to entertain Division 1 assistant jobs and moved to different areas. We got really attached to the city of Evansville and really attached to USI. I've spent most of my adult life here."

Hostetter won't rule out returning to coaching some day, and you can bet he won't get out of it totally even now. His sons will probably get a lesson or two soon.

Chris is the general manager/editor for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or 1-800-947-4487 or by e-mail at cpruett79@hotmail.com