Tyler Howell named Fulton girls basketball coach

Given everything that the Fulton girls basketball team has accomplished in recent years, athletic director Jody Wright did not have to look far to find a replacement for John Fisher, who left to fill the girls basketball coaching vacancy at his alma mater Powell on May 2.

The reigns of the program will stay in-house, as Fulton announced Thursday that Tyler Howell, who has been an assistant coach for the past four years, has been named the new girls basketball coach.

“I think what he, Coach Fisher and that staff have done has been pretty incredible,” Wright said. “When you have a good formula and it has been working, we didn’t want to change that. Our players are very excited to have Coach Howell because there’s a good relationship there with those girls.

“We’ve had some pretty good success over the past four years, and he’s been a big part of that.”

In the four years that Howell has been on staff, Fulton posted a 96-32 record, reaching the Class AA sectionals each year while also making two trips to the state tournament, including a runner-up finish in 2014.

Howell will be tasked with maintaining the winning tradition that Fisher built in his 11 years at Fulton. Wright just wants him to do so in his own way.

“The advice I want to try to give him as a veteran coach to a young coach is it is OK if you don’t know it all,” Wright said. “He’s got to be Tyler Howell. He doesn’t have to worry about being John Fisher. Being Tyler Howell will be just fine, and I think he’s going to be a good fit for what we do.

“I think Coach Fisher has been a good mentor and role model for Tyler and so I think we have our program in good hands.”