Nearly 3 weeks ago, Choctaw’s former boys basketball head coach, Andy Thigpen, was named new Athletic Director at the high school.
Since then, the hunt was on for a replacement as Thigpen officially started the new position on July 1, 2021.
On Friday afternoon, Choctaw’s Principal Michelle Heck announced Michael Memmen as the new head coach for the Big Green Indians. Memmen has been the boys basketball head coach at Mosley High School in Bay County since 2018.
- Since 2018, his record at Mosley was 50-29, according to MaxPreps data.
- Prior to arriving at Mosley, he spent 8 years at Deane Bozeman School in Panama City, FL. where he was both the boys basketball head coach and athletic director.
Earlier this year, the Mosley Dolphins lost in overtime to the Indians in a regional semifinals game. Choctaw ended up going all the way to the 5A state championship game before losing to Pembroke Pines.
“There’s a lot of things that Choctaw brings to the table,” said Memmen on Friday morning. “For Choctaw basketball, what a great program it has been. From the history of the program and past coaches, to players that are still there, and where the program is headed.”
“I’m ready to get started right away,” continued Memmen. “I’m excited to meet the players and parents and get started on building those relationships as we move forward in building something special at Choctaw. We will do what it takes to help grow young men.”
For Coach Memmen, he’s aware of the expectations ahead of him.
“When I walk in, the level of expectations will be high,” he said. “For Choctaw, finishing runner-up this past year is a great accomplishment. We will practice and play everyday with our goal to win a state title. And we will stay motivated until we meet that goal.”
“I’m very excited that Mike Memmen is joining our Choctaw staff and will be taking over the helm of our top ranked boys basketball program,” said Principal Michelle Heck. “He will certainly be a great fit for our school and our team as he works alongside Andy Thigpen, continuing to grow our players, expose them to high level opportunities and have our team positively impact our community is what I expect as we take this next step forward.”
