DeQueen School Board hires NJHS Basketball Coach as new head coach of the Lady Leopards

The Lady Leopards basketball program has a new head coach and he’ll be a familiar face to long-time De Queen fans. During a special-called meeting last week, the DeQueen School Board hired Bret Burgess as the new head coach of the Lady Leopards basketball program. Burgess previously coached at De Queen before leaving for Nashville to work with the Scrapperette’s basketball programs. 

Burgess’ leadership helped the senior and junior high basketball programs at Nashville win a number of titles. 

Burgess stated that they were in Nashville for four years and won four junior high district championships. Their overall record was 86-5. He added that at senior high, they had a good run. At the senior high, where he assisted, they won the state championship and won a couple of regional championships and won their conference all four years. 

Burgess will replace Lady Leopards Head Basketball Coach Eden Spears, who announced her resignation last month. Burgess said he’s excited to come back to De Queen, the district he said he knows best, and help lead the program in the years to come. 

The 2024-25 basketball season is expected to be a good one for De Queen with a wealth of returning talent. The sophomore-heavy girls squad showed a lot of determination this past season and with Burgess’ leadership, Bell predicts the next season will be an exciting one for DeQueen’s girls. Bell added that Burgess will also work with local pee-wee programs to help shape the future of De Queen.