It is a new era for McLean County boys’ basketball, as Hayden Shelton was recently named the program’s next head coach. The Apollo alumni spent four of the past years with Georgetown College and also a small stint with Rhodes College.
Shelton arrives with big shoes to fill as the Cougars are fresh off seven straight winning seasons, but Shelton awaits the opportunity.
“I am excited to get to work,” Shelton said. “It was a great conversation. I enjoyed meeting them and getting to know them a little bit better. Once I got to sit down and talk with them and share my vision, it kind of aligned with everything they had. I think it will work out great with us.”
Shelton graduated from Apollo High School in 2018, averaging 13.4 points and 2.4 rebounds her senior season. That same year, Shelton and the Eagles won the 3rd Region Championship, a 51-41 win over Owensboro Catholic – thanks in part to Shelton’s team-high 15 points.
He spent a year at Missouri Baptist University before transferring to Brescia University for two seasons. Having realized his playing days might be coming to an early end, Shelton reached out to then Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Tim Riley for advice on breaking into the coaching world.
After numerous conversations, he was hired by Georgetown College for the 2021-2022 season as an assistant coach, with an emphasis on scouting. After two years, he joined Rhodes College for the 2023-2024 season as an assistant coach, before rejoining Georgetown for the past two years as the primary assistant coach. Over his four seasons with Georgetown, the program reached the national tournament every year, advancing to the final four in 2023.
This marks Shelton’s first opportunity as a head coach, a welcoming challenge.
“It is unbelievable, and I feel like I am on cloud nine right now,” Shelton said. “I hope I don’t ever come down.”
Shelton plans to for year one to focus on player development and building his culutre.
“I want it to be player development-focused, and I want to get these kids better,” Shelton said. “I want to try and get them the experience they need to kind of help us down the road. Then I will start implementing more Xs and Os and getting my offense rolling and getting my structure going. I really want to get the structure down and the player development down the first year.”
