New leadership

A new era has begun for two of the parish basketball teams, as the Pine Prairie Panthers and the Mamou Lady Demons will have new captains guiding their respective ships.
In Pine Prairie, former Sacred Heart head basketball coach and current Pine Prairie assistant principal Andrew Dwyer will take over for long time head coach Chris Guillory, who left to take a similar position at Northwest High.
Dwyer is an Indiana native and a Navy veteran who has spent the last 15 years here in Louisiana teaching and coaching.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and his master’s from the University of Cincinnati.
Dwyer coached in Indiana before coming to Louisiana, where he began his in-state career at Ellender High School.
After moving back to Indiana, his desire to get back to this state found him answering an ad for the head basketball coaching position at Sacred Heart.
Dwyer enjoyed his time in Trojan land, but unfortunately circumstances changed and he was not retained.
“It was a great experience at Sacred Heart,” stated Dwyer. “I thought we had the program headed in the right direction. But, Ms. Paula Dianne (former Sacred Heart principal) decided not to renew my contract.”
Leaving Sacred Heart, Dwyer landed the job as assistant principal in Pine Prairie and after Guillory left, the search for a new head coach took a left turn. The person that was to take over decided not to come to the school and Dwyer was asked to take over the program.
“I was presented with the opportunity to take over the team after we tried to fill the position with other people,” said Dwyer. “It has been good so far. Once we got all of the football players and cross country runners back, it will just get better. The biggest challenge has been for them to figure out my personality and how it differs from Coach Guillory. I think we will get it going and I am excited for the season.”
For the Mamou Lady Demons, head coach Denisha Allison comes in to take over for the departing Mark Temple.
Allison is a 2011 graduate of Oakdale High and did her undergraduate work at Louisiana College in Pineville where she played for four years earning All-Conference honors two of those years.
Right after graduating in 2015, Allison went to work for Enterprise Car Rentals. When she saw there was an opening at Mamou for a girl’s basketball coach, Allison decided that she would pursue a career that always intrigued her.
“Sometimes I would say to myself that I want to be a coach,” commented Allison. “I always did help out at high school camps and with Little Dribblers. But, now that I have been in it for these last few months, I really am loving the job. It means a lot to be able to pass on my knowledge and see the players buy into it.”
Taking over for Temple and the program that he has taken to the next level was a very nerve racking decision for Allison.
“In the back of my mind I was thinking what if in my first game everybody would look at us and say why aren’t we as good as the last few years,” stated Allison. “I think that is why during the pre-season, I was extra hard on the players. I just wanted them to live up to the potential that they lived up to the last few years. Needless to say, I was very intimidated.”
So far Allison and the Lady Demons are living up to that potential. As of press time Mamou was 2-0 on the season.
“I don’t want them to let up on the court at any time,” stated Allison. “That is what I learned from my college coach and it is the philosophy I want to instill in them.”