Menefee resigns Coaching Position at Campbell County

Highlands Alum Led Lady Camels to State in 2016

Beau Menefee (left), a 1991 Highlands alum, reacts to a play in a recent game at Conner in January. Menefee coached the Campbell County girls for five years before resigning Monday.

Beau Menefee, a 1991 Highlands graduate, took the Campbell County Lady Camels basketball team to new heights during his five seasons as head coach.

But he resigned the position Monday citing family matters. Campbell County finished 110-53 during those five seasons. That's the most of any head coach in any five-year period in school history. Menefee won several coaching awards including two Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches 10th Region Coach of the Year awards and coached the Kentucky All-Stars in the 2018 Ohio-Kentucky All-Star game.

"I can not commit the time to the open gyms, the summer ball and everything else," Menefee said. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take a step back. Hopefully it works out to where I can get back into it. That's the plan. I just can't do it right now."

Campbell County won four 37th District championships in the first four seasons and a 10th Region championship in 2016 marking the first region crown for the program since 2003. The Lady Camels won the first-ever state tournament game for Campbell County in both boys and girls with a 48-33 win over Trimble County that year before losing 41-38 to eventual state runner-up Franklin County in the state quarterfinals.

The banner season came during the 2017-18 season when Campbell County finished 29-4 losing 51-48 to George Rogers Clark in the region semifinals. The team led by Taylor Clos, currently at Northern Kentucky University, and Mackenzie Schwarber, currently at Morehead State, rose to number one in state at one point for the first time in program history.

That team even beat Mount Notre Dame, 60-57 in Alexandria marking the first time any Northern Kentucky team had beaten the seven-time state champion Cougars. Menefee said that team might have gone to at least the state semifinals if not for a key injury.

Campbell County finished 14-15 this past season losing to Bishop Brossart in the district semifinals. That marked the first time the Lady Camels did not make the region tournament since going 10-17 the year before Menefee took over in 2013-14.

But Campbell County still played a tough schedule against the likes of Ryle, Highlands and Mount Notre Dame. Menfee said a number of those losses were against top 20 teams in Kentucky.

"It's unbelievable just the dedication," Menefee said. "The girls looked at the success of the previous teams and knew they can do those kind of things. That was something we were really proud of."

Menefee still plans to keep teaching at Campbell County. He teaches Communications Media, Speech and Journalism.

"It's just something I've always had a passion for as well as basketball," Menefee said. "It's kind of a neat little combination. I was able to do both."

Menefee had been an assistant, junior varsity and freshman boys coach at Highlands for three seasons prior to coming to Campbell County under current Highlands Head Coach Kevin Listerman and former Highlands Head Coach Mike Flynn. Menefee had been the head coach of the Bellevue Tigers boys program during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Those teams finished 16-35.