Beyers moving up to varsity assistant

By Rex Kirts

Criss Beyers is moving up the corporate ladder, and taking a pay cut.
The veteran of three decades of coaching basketball at South, Beyers has spent much of that time as the JV coach. Starting next year, he'll be a varsity assistant under J.R. Holmes and take a small pay cut in the process.
"It's time for one of the younger guys to coach the JVs," Beyers said.
The younger guys on the staff are Aaron Parker, Kyle Simpson, Matt Seifers and Doug Waltz with the vasrsity-JV and Heath Howington and David Alexander with the freshmen. Parker and Simpson have been around for more than 10 years, as has Waltz, and Seifers played for Holmes.
SOUTH'S VARSITY has the best winning percentage in the state the last 16 years. The JVs have been strong, too, and continued that success with the varsity.
Like Holmes, who will be in his 30th year as the Panther head man next year, Beyers is demanding. His teaching style is direct, and it gets results.
Beyers' No. 1 highlight as JV coach came his first year, when the team went 17-3. That was also his first year coaching with Holmes.
"That team had Billy Beggs, Brad Jackson, David Archer, Randy Perine, and Steve McDay played some," Beyers said.
"Probably the No. 2 highlight was when we beat Lawrence North when both of us were undefeated," he added.
Also, the Panther reserves won 43 straight games in the mid-1990s, with two straight unbeaten seasons.
BEYERS LIKED THE WAY this year's team finished up. It started 5-5 but won its last nine to wind up 14-5. "We had eight freshmen and four sophomores this year," he said.
Of course, the biggest overall highlight of Beyers' coaching career at South came when the Panthers won the state championship in 2009. Also ranking high was their first sectional in the Holmes' era in 1985.
Another highlight came during his five-year tenure as the head girls' coach. That was the sectional championship in 1994-95 by the Erica Henrich-led team.
Beyers has done a lot in his career. Besides work with the boys' and girls' basketball teams, he coached golf and is a major force in state AAU basketball. He runs the Addidas AAU Classic in Bloomington and the big Addidas AAU tourney in Indianapolis.
"The Indianapolis tourney is one of the premier tourneys in the country," Beyers said. "Last summer we had over 400 college coaches there and 221 teams."
South is Beyers' primary focus, obviously, and he enjoys the opportunities.
"THE BEST THING here at Bloomington South is that J.R. lets you coach," Beyers said. "And coaching with him on the varsity he really wants and listens to your output. I couldn't be at a better situation."
Beyers graduated from North in 1975 and Indiana University in 1982. He had worked at several jobs, including once as the Community Corrections director.
But what he's done mostly is coach, and coach well.