Perry Reese Jr. left an indelible impression upon the Holmes County community during his tenure at Hiland High School.
A 1988 graduate of Muskingum College, Reese coached the Hiland Hawks for 16 years, compiling a record of 304 and 85.
The crown jewel among his many coaching accomplishments was the state championship Hiland won in 1992.
Reese guided Hiland to the state final four five times, winning five regional titles, seven district titles and 11 sectional crowns. The Hawks were Inter-Valley conference champions 11 times under Reese's tutelage.
He was named District 5 coach of the year eight times, Eastern District coach of the year six times, AP Division IV coach of the year twice and Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association coach of the year two times.
He was selected as head coach of the Eastern District All-Star game in 1990 and coached in the North-South All-Star game in 1992.
He was selected as coach of the Ohio-West Virginia All-Star game in 2000 and as a instrucor in the National High School coaching camp and clinic in Leeds, England in 1993.
He was posthumously inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001.
Reese died in November of 2000, following a brief battle with cancer.
His legacy lives on, however, as the gymnasium at Hiland High School was dedicated in his honor as the Perry Reese Jr. Memorial Community Center.
A memorial scholarship was established in his name and has grown considerably since his death.
A feature was written about Reese and his coaching career at Hiland and a feature film is in the works.
