WP Men’s Three-Sport Coach Resigns

PRESCOTT - WP's head boys basketball coach and assistant football and baseball coach TJ Scott is moving on to a new job in Alaska.

Scott completed his student teaching at Prescott and has been teaching phys- ical education and work- ing as a para educator for the past three years while coaching for all seasons.

On Aug. 10, he is off to Metlakatla, Alaska, near Ketchikan, to teach physical education, serve as an athletic director and continue his coaching career.

Scott said he loves the Prescott community and it is tough to leave his stu- dents and athletes. But, his goal is to work as a full-time teacher. He said a full-time job came open in Prescott and he hoped it would be the perfect fit, but it wasn't.

However, for Scott, an avid outdoorsman, Alaska has always appealed to him. After not getting the fulltime position in Prescott, he put his resume on the Teach Alaska website and had received three calls from interested schools in just one week.

Scott said at first he wasn't sure about moving so far away.

But, when he received a call from the superintendent he's going to work for, he became much more excited about the opportunity. He said his new superinten- dent focuses on building great relationships with the students in the district and Scott was happy to hear he and his new boss are on the same page.

"I thought about it for a long time," Scott said of the new job. "It is really tough to say 'yes' and leave the kids here."

But, dreaming of the hunting, fishing and being an athletic director, Scott said it was a job he simply couldn't walk away from.

"I'm an outdoorsman - that's my passion," he said. "Alaska is a great fit for me."

His new district is com- parable to Prescott. It has about 300 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

"It was the easiest thing to do job-wise - but the hardest thing to do because of the kids," Scott said.

Scott has served as the WP varsity boys basket- ball coach for the past four years.

He has also been a vol- unteer and later an assistant coach for the WP varsity football team. In the spring seasons, he helped assistant coach for WP baseball as well.

Recent Waitsburg gradu- ate Zach Bartlow, who played on Scott's basket- ball team, said Scott was a great coach because he was younger and easy to relate to.

"He knew what we did best and he let us do that," Bartlow said. "And he ex- pected the best out of us."

Bartlow said Scott was his quarterback coach and offensive coordinator and he said he had never con- nected with a coach as much as Scott.

"He's going to be sorely missed," said head football coach Jeff Bartlow.

Bartlow credits Scott's quick thinking to helping the football team win the state championship this year.

"He's really good on his feet with decision making," Jeff Bartlow said. "And he's a very knowledgeable guy."

The WP combine is working to replace Scott and Jeff Bartlow said a new football coach should be hired in July.