Following action by the Piggott School Board Monday night Josh Robins will be taking over the boys basketball program at PHS, while his former assistant Natalie Striklin will guide the girls program in 2008-09.

A graduate of Marmaduke, Robins spent last year as the head coach for the Piggott girls program in what could only be described as a re-building season. Prior to last year he served as boys coach at Naylor (Mo.) the previous four years.

Robins takes over for Paul Seegraves who stepped-down from his basketball coaching duties earlier this spring. Seegraves, who had taken over following Matt Sutfin's stroke, will continue as a teacher at PHS and will also continue to coach the school's very successful tennis program. Over the past decade Seegraves has built the program into a small-school powerhouse, which has become a regular at the state tournament.

After guiding the Tribe to a 18-8 campaign in his first season as head coach, which included a trip to the regional basketball tournament, Seegraves and the Mohawks struggled last year. The coming season does offer the return of several starters for the Mohawks, including senior Rob Rice who was chosen All-District and All-State Honorable mention last year; and senior Tyler Grubb who also garnered All-District honors. The squad will also return several other key starters and bench players and will pick-up a talented bunch of sophomore athletes as well.

On the other hand, the Mohawks are facing re-alignment this year and will have some potent new conference foes in Rivercrest, Earle and Tuckerman along with familiar faces Brookland, Corning, Harrisburg, Hoxie, Manila and Marmaduke.

Stricklin, a product of the old Lafe school district, came to Piggott last year from Paragould and served as Robin's assistant. She'll take over a young program that's still in those re-building stages, but she was able to build good rapport with the players last year.

Stricklin was actually the second choice of Piggott athletic director Dave Hendrix, who first recommended that the job go to former PHS standout Angie (Beck) Burnside. A motion to hire Burnside was made by Neil Morgan but died for lack of a second, the board then voted without dissent to give the job to Stricklin.

The board also filled the vacant girls assistant job on the recommendation of Hendrix as they hired Rector graduate Alan Rabjohn.

He'll serve as an assistant in the girls basketball program, in the football program under Hendrix and under Shawn Hearn with the Piggott baseball team next spring. In Hendrix's words, "he'll be a great addition."