When D.G. Sherrill coached his final game with Bowling Green in 2017, he left Rupp Arena’s floor with the program’s first-ever state title.

But after three years away from the bench, he’s back.

The Purples’ former boys’ basketball coach will return to the sidelines as the program’s next head coach, Bowling Green announced in a news release Tuesday.

“I probably never got out of it mentally,” Sherrill said in a phone interview with the Daily News. “I’ve been out for the last three years, and I think if you talked to all of my guys and buddies that have been coaching basketball, they would probably tell you I’ve remained a coach throughout this process.

“When the position became available again, I think it was something I kind of had to think about and talk to my family about because it’s one of those situations where, if you’re a coach, you want to make sure you get it out of your system when you’re done. I probably thought I was done. I didn’t think this opportunity would come back around to me, but here it is, so I’ve got to take advantage of it and make the most of it.”

Sherrill brings 25 years of coaching experience to Bowling Green, with 18 as a head coach and 12 of those as the head coach of the Purples, where he accumulated a 307-92 record. His Purples’ squads won 25 or more games in eight seasons and hit the 30-win mark three times. Bowling Green won seven District 14 titles and six Region 4 titles under Sherrill, the final of which resulted in a run to the 2017 Sweet Sixteen championship game, where the Purples beat Cooper 67-56. His teams had advanced past the first round of the state tournament four times, with three Final Four appearances and a runner-up finish to go along with the state championship.

“As crazy as it sounds, coaching for me – you try to win every game, but it’s more about the relationships you have with young people and spending time with young people watching them grow and improve,” Sherrill said. “You come over here into the central office and you get to do some very meaningful work, but you kind of lose your relationship piece with young people, and that’s why you go into education to begin with.

“ … I do miss the relationships, I miss the gym, I miss working with young people, so I’m just really excited to get back into a gym and try to see where we can go with this thing.”

He resigned in the June following the state championship victory to take an administration role with the Bowling Green Independent School District, becoming the director of pupil personnel. He will continue his district responsibilities and believes he will see a decrease in his role as the school’s athletic director, he says, adding “I don’t mind working, so it’s going to be a little more work for me but it’s not going to be something that I’m going to shy away from.”

He began his career in education at Dawson Springs Independent Schools in 1992, where he stayed until being hired by Allen County-Scottsville in 2001. Sherrill coached the Patriots’ basketball team before coming to Bowling Green in 2005.

Sherrill takes over for Derrick Clubb, who resigned March 31 after three seasons and who Sherrill says is like a “little brother.” Bowling Green went 75-25 during that stretch, winning the District 14 championship and advancing to the Region 4 final, where the Purples fell to Warren Central each year at E.A. Diddle Arena.

“Throughout this process we wanted to find a coach that could help our players grow into great young men and had a track record of success on the court,” Bowling Green principal Kyle McGraw said in the release. “ I believe Coach Sherrill ticks both of those boxes and am extremely excited for him to return as the Bowling Green High School head basketball coach.”

Bowling Green is coming off a 26-8 season and returns its entire starting lineup, including the top five scorers in Isaiah Mason (16.1 points per game), Turner Buttry (10.9), Conner Cooper (10.8), Jaxson Banks (7.7) and Cobi Huddleston (7.9). The Purples graduate Dorian Morrison, who averaged 4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds and had a career-high 23 points to lead the team over Logan County in the Region 4 Tournament semifinals.

“We return a lot of talent, but we’ve had a lot of talent for a long time. It’s trying to get back in there and trying to be the best version of ourselves,” Sherrill said. “We never, throughout my tenure, set lofty goals. Our goal was always the game right in front of us. Our goal was always to win the first game of the district and get to the regional tournament and then see how it goes and that is what our goal is going to remain. … I feel like I’m stepping back into a really good situation with a program and a bunch of young people that understand how to win.”

Sherrill said he expects to see familiar faces on his staff, with some new ones and changes in roles, but it’s a work in progress. With the KHSAA-mandated dead period in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, he cannot currently hold organized team activities, but says he will be reaching out to coaches and players this week. With his previous roles within the school district – including his tenure coaching the team – there is some familiarity in place, which should help the transition as well.

“I’ve watched these young guys. They used to come to my little kid camps, the players did, when I was still coaching, and I had this bunch when they were incoming freshmen that are seniors this year, so there’s familiarity with these guys. They’re a great group of young men,” Sherrill said. “I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to work with them and do something I love.”{&end}