Notre Dame High School head basketball coach stepping down

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Notre Dame High School announced Paul Unterreiner is stepping down from his role as the boys basketball head coach.

The school made the announcement on Monday morning, April 17.

According to the school’s athletic director, Jeff Graviett, Unterreiner is not leaving Notre Dame High School, but stepping down from coaching in order to focus solely on his role as an assistant principal and the Dean of Academics.

“Every team and season has memories I’ll cherish forever,” said Unterreiner in a released statement. “I’ll forever remember our two state runs. The first run was my first year as head coach (2014-15), and I had a group of young men that were on a mission. The good moments and the bad moments that we shared are what sports are all about.”

Unterreiner was head coach of the basketball program for nine seasons, accumulating a 159-94 record.

The school said he has coached 19 academic all-state student athletes and set school records; including the best 2-point field goal percentage (57.30%) and 3-point field goal percentage (38%) by the 2014-2015 team, and the most 3-pointers in a season (215) from the 2022-2023 team.

Unterreiner was also named the 2020 MBCA Class 4 Coach of the Year.

“I’ve been blessed to have spent a lot of time with great assistant coaches, quality young men who poured their heart and soul into our program, supportive parents, and two fantastic athletic trainers,” said Unterreiner. “I’ll miss getting to know young people in a way that can only be done throughout the roller coaster of a basketball season. I’ll miss the relationships I’ve built with other coaches and referees. I’ll miss the bus rides where my dad was our bus driver, and I’ll miss his constructive criticism. I’ll miss watching a player or two always get the bus spotless for my dad after a road trip. It’s all about the people. I’ll miss the people. Every single one of them. Thanks for the ride.”

Notre Dame has not announced who will take over as the new head basketball coach.

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