Report: Blackmon and sons heading to Marion
By PAUL SIEGFRIED
ISL Correspondent
James Blackmon, Sr., will leave Fort Wayne Bishop Luers to take the boys basketball head coaching job at his alma mater Marion High School, Indiana’s News Center in Fort Wayne has reported, citing multiple sources.
The report also said Blackmon would take his two sons with him to Marion. James Blackmon, Jr., will be a senior next season and has committed to Indiana University. The 6-2 shooting guard is ranked 47th nationally by Rivals.com in the 2014 class. He averaged 33.3 points and 7.9 rebounds a game last season. Vijay Blackmon will be a sophomore and also has a scholarship offer from the Hoosiers. He is a 6-1 guard who averaged 12.5 points a game as a freshman.
On May 11, 2011, Blackmon, Sr., accepted the Marion job, only to change his mind and return to Luers a month later. Blackmon led Luers to Class 2A state championships in 2008 and 2009, and has a 146-63 record in nine seasons with the Knights.
As a player, Blackmon was an Indiana All-Star in 1983 and earned numerous All-America honors after scoring 1,897 points in his prep career. He went on to play at Kentucky and was a fifth round draft choice of the New Jersey Nets in 1987. although he never played in an NBA game.
Blackmon has not commented on the story, and neither did Marion athletic director Greg Peden. Luers AD Jim Huth said he was scheduled to talk to Blackmon next week.
Billy Shepherd, who coached Marion to a 19-25 record over the past two seasons, resigned earlier in the month.
Marion Superintendent Steve Edwards said in the Marion Chronicle-Tribune there were approximately 20 applicants for the position, and confirmed that Blackmon was one of the applicants. The Marion school board meets on Wednesday where Edwards said he hoped a coach would be hired.
