Coach Nathan Speed Steps Away at Fairland
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 1:46 pm
If you've been a follower of high school basketball in Southern/Southeast Ohio you KNOW Fairland Basketball as one of the outstanding "programs" in Ohio basketball ... for 15 years Coach Speed has guided the Dragons "program" ... a great coaching napkin stat line:
* Only the 10th coach at FHS in school history
* 62-20 as the Girls HC
* Record 340-111 for a 67.35% winning percentage
* Took the Dragons to the Final Four in 2017
* Winningest coach in Fairland basketball history
* 20 win season 6 times
* 10 OVC Championships
* 12 Sectional 'ships
* 5 District Championships
* 1 Regional Championship
... as a fan of the game of high school hoops, I was instantly drawn to the Fairland style of play ... fundamentals at both ends of the floor / physical man-to-man defense, great team offensive play anchored by 3 point shooters/ outstanding passing on the perimeter and in the paint / back door cuts ending with layups at the rim/ pick & roll set up by big men who were threats offensively and could handle the ball/find the scorers/cutters ... my kind of basketball ... I KNEW what I was going to see every time I went to see a game where Fairland was playing ...
... Over the years I have gotten to know Coach Speed, his coaching staff, the Fairland players going back 15 years along with the parents of players & Dragon fans in the stands - what a great "basketball community" ... I look forward to continuing to go to Proctorville to watch games - it will definitely be a different feel looking court side and not seeing Coach Speed ... times are a changing ... thank you Coach Speed for all you, your TEAMS have done for Southern/Southeast Ohio basketball ... best wishes my friend - pfloyd
* Only the 10th coach at FHS in school history
* 62-20 as the Girls HC
* Record 340-111 for a 67.35% winning percentage
* Took the Dragons to the Final Four in 2017
* Winningest coach in Fairland basketball history
* 20 win season 6 times
* 10 OVC Championships
* 12 Sectional 'ships
* 5 District Championships
* 1 Regional Championship
... as a fan of the game of high school hoops, I was instantly drawn to the Fairland style of play ... fundamentals at both ends of the floor / physical man-to-man defense, great team offensive play anchored by 3 point shooters/ outstanding passing on the perimeter and in the paint / back door cuts ending with layups at the rim/ pick & roll set up by big men who were threats offensively and could handle the ball/find the scorers/cutters ... my kind of basketball ... I KNEW what I was going to see every time I went to see a game where Fairland was playing ...
... Over the years I have gotten to know Coach Speed, his coaching staff, the Fairland players going back 15 years along with the parents of players & Dragon fans in the stands - what a great "basketball community" ... I look forward to continuing to go to Proctorville to watch games - it will definitely be a different feel looking court side and not seeing Coach Speed ... times are a changing ... thank you Coach Speed for all you, your TEAMS have done for Southern/Southeast Ohio basketball ... best wishes my friend - pfloyd