McKenzie Pierce started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas. He's now returning to the region to be boys basketball coach at Fort Smith Northside High School.
"I lived up there for six years," Pierce said. "My in-laws lived in Fayetteville/Springdale."
Pierce, 33, has guided Blytheville to two straight state tournament finals and also took East Poinsett County to the state title game. But that's far from all.
His career record is 220-77 with nine state tournament appearances, three district championships and five conference championships.
He acknowledged that coaching in the 6A-West at some point could have been a goal and now that's become reality.
"I'm really, really looking forward to working with Coach [Michael] Beaumont and Mr. [Chris] Carter, the principal, and all the great administrators and staff at Northside," Pierce said. "Last week was a special week starting to learn about the traditions and history at Northside and seeing the facilities and the town."
Pierce though had nothing but great memories when talking about his time at Blytheville.
"It's been the best seven years of my life," Pierce said. "We've had a lot of success, won almost 200 ball games, five conference championships, a regional title three district titles. Last year found us one game away from the ultimate goal and we weren't able to get that done, but it's been an awesome run these last seven years at Blytheville. I will definitely cherish these memories for the rest of my life."
Pierce pointed out being a part of the town and getting to know the people is important and he looks forward doing the same thing in Fort Smith.
"The greatest honor walking away from [Blytheville] is two times in the last three years I've been named a top 40 community member in Mississippi County," Pierce said. "I really, really embraced that. It's been both ways, the community has embraced me.
"I know we're gonna win basketball games. I'm just looking forward to getting to Fort Smith and doing everything I can to help those kids."
Michael Beaumont, director of athletics and student activities at Fort Smith Public School, said Pierce's name kept coming up whenever he talked to people about the job.
"When you hear the same name come up over and over again from my colleagues at the next level, my colleagues in the state of Arkansas, it's not real hard," Beaumont said.
"I never re-invent the wheel. I just take what a lot of other people already know and do a lot of my own homework. Everything just kept pointing back to McKenzie Pierce.
"When you get a former University of Arkansas head coach in Mike Anderson or Kermit Davis calls you and says 'Hey, if you're looking you may want to take a look at this guy.' I don't know if I should use the work divine intervention, but I tell you what there were a lot of signs pointing toward McKenzie Pierce."
Pierce is excited to get to work immediately.
"I absolutely can't wait to get down there and get entrenched with the community and meet those young men," Pierce said. "It's definitely not a rebuild type situation. I'll just come in and continue the tradition that of excellence and building my relationship with those kids and me putting my twist on it. I'm really looking forward to it."
He is definitely in it for the long haul at Northside, Pierce said.
"For all intents and purposes, we're taking this job that our two boys will graduate from Northside High School, and one of those kids is 5 and the other one is 1," Pierce said. "So you can do the math, that's a pretty good ways away."
Pierce takes the place of Eric Burnett, who left Northside recently to become an assistant athletic director at Springdale High School.
Burnett, who graduated from Northside in 1989, has been the Grizzlies' head basketball coach the past 13 seasons after spending five years at Springdale Har-Ber. He compiled a career 380-263 career record as a head coach, guided Northside to state championships in 2017 and 2019.
Pierce will visit with media and the public at a news conference that will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Northside High School arena.