Jake Jewart, hired as Moniteau boys basketball head coach, hopes to bring same care to program as father did
Jake Jewart remembers being in the gym while his father, Mike, coached youth basketball at Karns City and Moniteau.
“My dad cares about his players,” Jake said. “I began coming to practices when I was 6, and that’s something that I noticed through the years.”
It’s something the younger Jewart plans to emulate as Moniteau’s new head boys basketball coach. He was approved at the June 9 school board meeting to take over for his father, who coached the Warriors for seven seasons, leading them to the program’s only district championship with a win over Brookville in 2024.
Mike Jewart resigned following the 2024-25 season, a 6-15 campaign. He remains an assistant on the varsity baseball team.
“Obviously, I want to succeed on the court, but I want my players to know that I care about them off of it,” said Jake Jewart, who is quite familiar with Moniteau’s program. He was the starting point guard for the Warriors for two years before graduating in 2018. He served as head coach of the junior varsity boys team the last three seasons.
“The board already had an idea of who I am, so nothing drastic stood out about the interview process,” Jake Jewart said. “We didn’t win a district title when I played here, but it’s something I wanted for the program and we reached that goal last year.
“We were down this season, but we have a lot of talented players coming back. I want us to get back to competing with the better teams in our league. I played here and I’ve been a coach here. I want to see Moniteau win.”
Jewart’s hire is the second among Butler County boys basketball programs, after Joe Lafko was brought on at Knoch in May to take over for Alan Bauman.
