By DAVE WOODALL
Slidell sports writer
SLIDELL – Long-time local coach Rick Spring is back in the saddle again.
Spring, assistant basketball coach at Salmen as of last week, has accepted the head coaching position at Hahnville High School in St. Charles Parish.
After 32 years of coaching in the St. Tammany area, Spring has seen a lot of success.
As a head coach for eight years he has compiled a 160-89 record. In 1993 he started as an assistant coach at Slidell. He then took over the helm at Pearl River for two years and then went back to take over the Slidell Tigers for six seasons.
Before he went to Salmen, Spring won three St. Tammany Parish junior high championships as the head man at Boyet Junior High.
As the freshman coach at Salmen, he had an impressive record of 62-8.
The Hahnville offer was a no-brainer for Spring, who was looking for the right situation before he would leave Salmen’s outstanding coaching staff that is headed up by the incomparable Jay Carlin.
“I was looking for the right opportunity” Spring said. “And Hahnville is it.”
Spring said the Tigers return four starters from last year’s team that finished 15-16 under Coach Marcell Fisher and lost in the first round of playoffs to eventual Class 5A champion Scotlandville.
“We aren’t surprised,” said Carlin. “Fortunately for Rick, he got the opportunity he was looking for. Hahnville is lucky to have him.”
“This place has been really good to me,” said Spring. “But I’m looking forward to making the same kind of effort in Hahnville. It’s a great opportunity for me.”