Aaron Epps tabbed to lead Springdale boys basketball program

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, August 15, 2018 | 9:42 PM

Aaron Epps has been coaching on and off in the WPIAL for almost 15 years, but all of his stints have been with girls teams.

The former all-state player at Butler and all-conference selection at Slippery Rock decided it was time to return to the sidelines, only he’s changing lanes.

“I wanted to get into the boys game,” Epps said. “I coached my son’s AAU team this past year, and I loved it. Being away from the (high school) game for a year made me think a lot about some things. I missed the game but I didn’t. But I knew I wanted to get back into it.”

Epps was hired Tuesday to coach the Springdale boys. He was the head coach of the Hempfield girls for five seasons, posting a record of 81-43 with a WPIAL runner-up finish, a section title and five playoff trips, two in the PIAA tournament.

“There were a lot of openings out there, some great jobs,” Epps said. “But I had to find the best place for me. I wanted to go somewhere where I could make a difference. I didn’t want to go to a place that had won like five WPIAL championships in six years.”

While Springdale doesn’t quite fit that billing, the program improved greatly last season and will look to carry momentum into the winter.

The energetic Epps replaces Seth Thompson, who resigned after seven seasons. Thompson guided the Dynamos to a pair of WPIAL playoff trips and the PIAA Class A playoffs last season after the team posted its first postseason victory since 2008.

Epps, 38, said his 10-year-old son, Jordan, attended a Springdale youth camp and was named MVP.

“Who knew I’d end up coaching there?,” he said.

Epps, who works for FedEx, lives in the North Hills which means he will have much less travel time than when he coached Hempfield. He cited the extra mileage as a primary reason for his departure from that program.

When his original irons-in-the-fire plans to coach at the college level did not develop, Epps just coached 212 AAU alongside Butler boys coach Matt Clement. But he also attended some WPIAL playoff games, which brought it all back for him.

“For the first time in 14 years I had time to myself, which was nice,” Epps said. “But the juices started flowing when the playoffs started.”

Epps has coached in the Alle-Kiski Valley before. He guided the Kiski Area girls for one season, leading the Cavaliers to a 16-7 record and a playoff appearance, before joining Hempfield in 2012. Prior to Kiski Area, he was a girls assistant for eight seasons at Butler when his mother, Dorothea, was the head coach.

Hempfield athletic director Greg Meisner, Epps said, assisted him in getting back into coaching.

“He helped so much,” Epps said. “He did letters of recommendation and has just been so supportive the whole time. I can’t thank him enough for that. The people at Hempfield have been so supportive.”

Hempfield continues its coaching search for a girls coach after Lindsy Muchnock resigned after one season.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Butler, Hempfield, Springdale