Longtime R-5 teacher/coach Bartlett announces retirement

After spending the past quarter-century at Nevada High School, physical education/health teacher Brent Bartlett has announced plans to retire at the conclusion of the school year in May.

Bartlett, also the longtime head girls' varsity basketball coach, said his decision to retire from Nevada R-5 was an extremely difficult one to make.

"I love the school, love teaching here, love the administration, love the girls I coach," Bartlett said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail.

Bartlett said contributing factors to his decision included accumulated years of service, as well as age.

"I'm young enough, and healthy enough I can do something else," he said. "It's very bittersweet. Sweet, because I'm excited about retirement. Bitter because of the relationships I have with the teachers, faculty, students — and, of course, my team. We have a good, close relationship. So that's the tough part. The players that I coach are just awesome."

Bartlett said family played a major role in his decision, as he and his wife Lori have two daughters, Mikayla and Chloe — both in college. The family also has wedding plans on the horizon, as Mikayla is soon set to be married.

"Most of my decisions are made because of family," Bartlett noted.

Bartlett said Lori, his wife of nearly 30 years, has supported him every step of the way.

"It's not easy being a coach's spouse or wife," he said. "She's been so supportive, and I love her so much. She gives me good advice about the game of basketball, and girls."

A native of Lockwood, Bartlett spent the first five years of his teaching/coaching career at Drexel High School, and the past 24 at Nevada.

"(When I left Drexel), I probably didn't realize what kind of career I would have, and be here this long," Bartlett said. "It's been a blessing to work here. It's been my honor, and I feel like God's blessed me."

Bartlett continued: "I treat each and every day like it's special, and have an appreciation for each and every day."

Bartlett discussed his teaching philosophy.

"The biggest thing for me as a teacher is that I like to show students that I care for them," he said. "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care — that's been my philosophy in teaching. And, I try to treat all students the same."

Bartlett is also big on work ethic.

"No matter where you're at, you should always work hard to obtain success," he said.

Bartlett said he plans on spending quite a bit of his post retirement time working, and relaxing on his farm in Liberal.

"I'm going to do a lot of fishing," Bartlett said with a chuckle.

After spending his first two years as an assistant coach, Bartlett then took the reins of the Drexel girls' team in 1993-94. Bartlett led a young Lady Bobcats squad to a 26-4 record that season. In his second season, Drexel finished third in the state, concluding with a pristine 29-2 record.

The 1995-96 campaign was a good one for Bartlett, as he guided Drexel to a 31-0 record en route to the Class 1 State Championship.

After cutting down the nets in the spring of 1996, Bartlett departed Drexel and landed at Nevada High, where he spent his first season as a boys varsity assistant coach under current NHS Athletic Director John McNeley. Bartlett then took over for Gail Wilson in the fall of 1997 as the Lady Tigers' head varsity basketball coach.

Bartlett enters the upcoming season, his 22nd leading the Lady Tigers, with a sparkling 436-203 career record.

Lofty expectations await Bartlett's squad, as the Lady Tigers return their roster virtually intact from back-to-back state tournament appearances. Nevada opens its season Dec. 2 at the Freeman Sports Medicine Carl Junction Classic.

“I expect us to be very competitive this year," Bartlett said. "Our goal is to go further than we have ever gone before. We have a group of girls that are very athletic and tenacious. Staying healthy and being a strong rebounding team will be the keys to a fine season."

In addition to the consecutive state-tourney berths, Bartlett's other notable accomplishments include: 2015 and '18 West Central Conference Coach of the Year; conference championships in 1998, '07, '18, '19; and district championships in 1998, '03, '07, and '08, '18, '19.

Summed up Bartlett: "I thought long and hard about this decision. I bleed crimson and gray, and love this school."