Inductees

On a dairy farm outside of Clever in southwest Missouri, back in the late 1970s and 1980s, Kris Flood usually could be found shooting hoops in about the only enclosed facilities nearby.

“We had a few places where we could go and play basketball, mainly in hay barns,” Flood said. “My uncle laid down a concrete pad in his hay barn, and we would get a group together there and play about every weekend. I really grew from there, playing against older kids at that time. But I could hold my own.”

His passion for the game carried him throughout his life, as Flood became one of the state’s most successful high school basketball coaches. And it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Flood with the Class of 2025.

In 25 seasons (1997-2023) as coach of the Republic High School girls basketball program, Flood was 530-178 (.749). His 2004 team (61-55 vs. Duchesne) and his 2012 team (53-51 vs. Smithville) won Class 4 state championships. His 2019 team placed fourth in state.

Additionally, Flood’s teams captured nine Central Ozark Conference championships, including five seasons in which they finished without a conference loss. He was 161-44 in COC play (.631), and his teams won their final 17 consecutive COC games.

Overall, Republic won 15 district championships and reached 11 state quarterfinals. His teams won 20 games in 19 of his 25 seasons. Over his final four seasons, they averaged only six losses.

This for a coach who had played at Clever High School. When he graduated in 1989, he was a two-time First Team All-Stater, as well as three-time First Team All-Southwest Central League (and its two-time MVP) in basketball. He also was All-State in baseball in 1989.

“I believe everything started when I was young. We had some youth coaches that coached and taught us the fundamentals and taught us to work as a group,” Flood said, noting that his junior high and high school coaches Kent Hedgpeth, Steve Ketchum, Greg Garton (MSHOF 2023) prepared him well. “These gentlemen had different coaching styles, and I can honestly say I took a little bit from each one. Once I was in college, I tried different fields, but kept finding myself being pulled back to education with the intent to coach.”

Flood’s journey took him to Republic. Garton, his Clever coach, was there as the boys basketball coach and asked him to coach the junior high school boys teams. Two years later, in 1995, Republic Superintendent Dr. Alan Crader hired him full-time.

After one season coaching junior high boys and then assisting the high school girls varsity for three seasons, he took over the Lady Tiger program.

Flood later won two state titles.

The 2004 team won districts when Amanda Gimlin took Kelsey Lock’s baseball pass from the baseline and hit the winning 3-pointer. That team won state a day after a big rally against Kansas City Center – and losing its starting point guard to a postgame knee injury.

The 2012 team eked out the win in the state championship game after Sarah Kreuel made a key deflection, Alice Heinzler hit two free throws and Alex Edwards blocked a shot.

His 2002 team lost to Marshfield in the state quarterfinals. The 2013 team fell to West Plains in the district final on a buzzer-beater in overtime. The 2016 team fell to eventual state champion Kickapoo in sectionals.

Fortunately, Flood adapted to the talent on his roster.

“Some teams we relied on team defense, and then there were other teams that we had to rely on our ability to shot and score and use up tempo,” Flood said. “Towards the end, we lacked some size, so we really had to adjust our offense and defense.”

To Flood, the folks who deserve credit for his success include players and parents, as well as Hedgpeth, Garton and Ketchum, administrators such as Crader, Dr. Pam Hedgpeth, Leo Clanton, Garton and Treyvor Fisher.

COC opponents also made his teams so much better.

“I always believed our conference really prepared for state playoff time because there were so many good teams, and you had to have you’re ‘A’ game night in, night out.”

Fortunately, too, he had the support of his wife, Lacey, and their son Cameron and daughter Logan, her husband Ean and grandson, JT.

“It has truly been an honor to get to coach at the same district for that many years and hopefully I impacted several kids’ lives,” Flood said.