By Michael Kinney
On the basketball court, Westmoore coach Robert Foreman is a stern disciplinarian always in control. At home, he concedes, it’s his two daughters who run the show.
This summer, Foreman’s daughters proved how much pull they have with their dad. In order to be closer to them, Foreman resigned his post as Westmoore boys basketball coach in order to take the reins at Mustang, where he’ll head the girls basketball program.
“My 8-year old really wanted me to do it,” he said. “So that was enough for me.”
A Mustang alum, Foreman graduated in 1990. Despite several coaching stints, his heart never left. Throughout his nine-year run at Westmoore, he commuted from Mustang every day.
“I was born and bred in Mustang,” he said. “The opportunity presented itself and I took it based on my family.”
Mustang school board members approved Foreman as the new coach Monday.
“The offered me the job Monday night,” he said. “I met with my kids at Westmoore Tuesday morning. Then I met with the girls at Mustang that afternoon.”
The job at Mustang had been open since Taft Turner departed to take the boys basketball job at U.S. Grant in Oklahoma City. Turner’s one and only Mustang girls team finished last season 8-15.
Foreman’s final year at Westmoore was not pretty. The Jaguars went 3-19.
However, Foreman said he was happy at Westmoore. “Westmoore has been a great place for nine years. I appreciate everything they’ve done for me. I just thought I needed a change of scenery. This is the only place I would have gone to coach girls. I never had thought about it before.”
Westmoore athletic director Chris Crosbie said Foreman let the staff know early about his interest in the Mustang job. Soon, the district will begin advertising for Foreman’s successor.
“We just completed summer basketball period,” Crosbie said. “Those kids get a break now. In late July or early August we want to get the coach settled in, meet the kids and get the program rolling.”
Crosbie had only good things to say about Foreman.
“We are going to miss him,” Crosbie said. “He is loyal, a good person, high character. He not only ran an honest, solid and consistent program, but he was also a very good teacher. He did whatever we needed him to do.”
Foreman said he’s looking forward to the day his two daughters will get the chance to play for him. That was the biggest selling point in leaving Westmoore. This will be Foreman’s third head coaching position since 1994.
“I could have stayed at Westmoore for as long as I wanted to be there,” he said. “But Mustang contacted me about the job. It’s been open for a while. The next thing I know I’m taking the job. I think it’s a better environment for raising two daughters, being around a girls locker room.”
Foreman said he started to get calls and text messages from former players congratulating him on the job.
“It was not an easy decision. I didn’t accomplish all the things I wanted to at Westmoore, like play for a state championship. But hopefully I taught the kids valuable life lessons.”
Michael Kinney
366-3537
mkinney@normantranscript.com
