BROCKWELL — Kyle McCandlis, 27, has spent a lot of time at Izard County Consolidated High School.
He graduated from the high school in 2008. Four years later, he was hired to be the school’s boys basketball coach. And during his fifth campaign on the bench, he coached the Cougars to the Class 1A state-championship game, where they lost to Guy-Perkins 71-66 at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs on March 10. They finished 37-4.
For his efforts, McCandlis is the 2018 Three Rivers Edition Basketball Coach of the Year.
“This is the best finish I’ve ever had here,” McCandlis said. “This is my first job. I got very lucky. When I graduated from Arkansas State University-Jonesboro at Christmastime in 2012, Stu Smart was the boys basketball coach. We talked back and forth. I graduated from here.”
McCandlis said Smart asked him if he would like to help on a volunteer basis with the baseball team. And McCandlis agreed.
“A job came open at Salem for head basketball coach, and Stu said he was going to apply for it,” McCandlis said. “‘If I get it, I’ll put in a good word for you here. You know these boys. I think you would do a good job with it.’ I was 22 years old.”
Smart got the job at Salem, and McCandlis got the job at his alma mater.
“I was very fortunate,” he said. “I was just four years older than the seniors I was about to coach. I’m very blessed to have that opportunity. Mr. Walker took a chance on me. I’m very thankful for that,” referring to Izard County Superintendent Fred Walker.
McCandlis said he had added pressure because he was coaching at his alma mater, but he thinks he would have felt pressure wherever he coached.
“You don’t ever want to let anybody down,” he said. “I was a Cougar. The fans have seen me play. Now that I’m coaching, our fan support and parent base are unbelievable.
“I add that pressure to myself because I don’t want to let them down. I want them to have something to be proud of and for our school to be proud of. This is where I grew up. I do want to set the ball extra high.”
After graduating from Izard County, McCandlis played one year at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge. He transferred to Arkansas State University-Jonesboro and earned his bachelor’s degree in education.
In addition to coaching, McCandlis teaches middle school and high school remediation, as well as high school heath and physical education.
McCandlis said the seeds for this season were planted during the state tournament a year ago.
“We had four senior starters and Justus Cooper,” McCandlis said. Cooper, a sophomore, is the Three Rivers Edition Boys Basketball Player of the Year. “It was one of those times we peaked at the right time and got hot.”
The Cougars advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament, where they lost to Shirley by four points. The Blue Devils had blown out the Cougars earlier in the season.
“We wanted one more shot at them. … It just turns out that we got that shot in the Final Four,” McCandlis said. “We just came up a little short. I could see it. Justus took a shot when we were down two. It was a 3-pointer. When he shot it, he missed.”
McCandlis said Cooper had enough courage to take the shot.
“All the boys out there wanted him to take it, too,” McCandlis said. “I thought, ‘We had the leader that we need. I know we’re losing four seniors. We just have to figure out the other pieces to get with him.’”
And the pieces started to fall into place during the offseason.
Freshman Caleb Faulkner stepped into the role of another go-to player. Cooper averaged 24 points, while Faulkner averaged 20 points.
“We had Justus; then we got Caleb going,” McCandlis said. “Then we had Mike Ueker, who surprised us. He was a little undersized in the post, but he works so hard and is very passionate. He scored 32 on the ACT. He’s a smart kid with a high basketball IQ.”
McCandlis said Dalton Dillard was a defensive stopper but ended up being a good shooter.
“It was beautiful watching them come on,” McCandlis said.
Another player who stepped up was transfer Dylan Tharp.
“He’s such a good kid,” McCandlis said. “He meshed with us.”
Despite the team being young, McCandlis said, he did have senior leadership with Andy Norton, Ethan Mohlke, Preston Grant and Rory Bell.
“None of them got a whole lot of playing time,” McCandlis said. “Their attitude in practice, their attitude on the bench — it always kept us upbeat. We didn’t care who we were playing. Our seniors stepped up to them and told them, ‘It’s our time. Let’s do it.’”
The Cougars started the season 14-0. After a loss to Southside Batesville, the Cougars won four more before falling to East Poinsett County. Then Izard County got hot again, winning 15 in a row before losing to Bay 54-52 in the semifinals of the regional tournament.
Izard County bounced back to beat Rector 40-38 in the third-place game of the regional. The Cougars then beat Nevada, Kirby and Mount Vernon-Enola to advance to the state-title game.
“After Bay, we had a big long talk,” McCandlis said.
McCandlis said the loss to Bay brought his team together.
“It was crazy how close they got,” he said. “The community got closer. Our school got closer. For a small-town atmosphere, it just meant so much to the community. I don’t think these boys even realize it. They are just heroes to everyone. Even though they didn’t win, they went out there and carried themselves and played so hard. It just made everybody so happy. I can’t thank them enough to even allow me to coach them. It was so special.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was so special to me and the boys. I know it was to the school and community.”
Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or mbuffalo@arkansasonline.com.