HANK WICKLEY
SPORTS WRITER
After the resignation of coach Oakley, the Scots men’s soccer team brought home a familiar face. John Greer, previous assistant coach for the program, has been named as head coach.
“We’re thrilled to have Coach Greer returning to Alma and take over the reins as our new head men’s soccer coach,” said Steven Rackley, athletic director.
“He was here for two seasons under Coach Oakley as an assistant. He knows Alma, who we are, and what we can be,” said Rackley.
Greer spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as an assistant for Alma and then spent the last five years coaching for Transylvania University.
Not only is the athletic department excited for coach Greer’s return to Alma, the student athletes are thrilled.
“It’s a great opportunity to start a fresh chapter under the reigns of a new boss coming to campus,” said Brian Ganton (‘20).
“The entire team is buzzing to have such a highly regarded coach as Greer joining our program,” said Ganton.
“I really think we found the right guy. He is extremely intelligent and really knows the game of soccer,” said Jarod Arendsen (‘22).
As for the hiring process, Greer was the clear choice for the job.
“We had a very strong pool of candidates for the position. Coach Greer rose to the top and the entire committee felt good about bringing him in,” said Rackley.
“Then, once we got him on campus, I knew. We all knew that he was the guy we wanted to be our next head coach,” said Rackley.
One unique aspect of the pooling process was that the members of the team got to have a say in who they wanted to be their head coach.
“As a team, we had a chance to meet with Coach Greer and ask him questions relevant to the culture of the program and also tactics,” said Andersen.
“However, the team was very proactive and involved in meeting Greer when he arrived to campus for his interview,” said Ganton.
“The lads had nothing but the best to say about him, and we believe that kind got the ball rolling on the ultimate selection of our newly elected coach,” said Ganton.
As for what is to come, the entire community around men’s soccer is excited for the future with coach Greer.
“I believe Greer will be coming in with a brand-new outlook of what he sees in the program, which some of the current team and recently past players have not particularly seen yet,” said Ganton.
“Greer is bringing an energy and culture change to the men’s program that is nothing short of contagious for the rest of the squad,” said Ganton.
“I think things will change a lot. I think he will bring a new aspect to the culture of the program,” said Andersen.
