Jamere Dismukes said he “made myself a little bit sick” while mulling over one of the toughest decisions of his life.
Dismukes, a Rich East graduate who coached at his alma mater before it closed and the district consolidated, had returned home — accepting the job in May as Rich Township’s boys basketball coach.
Earlier this month, though, there was an unexpected major opening when Homewood-Flossmoor coach Marc Condotti resigned. Dismukes was eventually offered the job.
“It was tough,” Dismukes said. “It was an emotional roller coaster. I sat down for a week going over the pros and cons.”
Dismukes ultimately decided the chance to coach H-F was too good to pass up. He accepted the job and was named the Vikings’ new coach last week.
“Just the prestige of the program alone means a lot to me,” Dismukes said. “The alums who have come out of H-F, not just athletically but academically and socially, it’s a very strong alumni community.
“It’s a great school with great athletics, great academics and a great environment. That’s tough to beat. I’m excited about being a part of it.”
Dismukes understands he will get some criticism after taking a job and leaving before coaching a game, especially with it being his home school district.
But while the circumstances were not ideal, he felt the opportunity at H-F was.
“People have to understand what went into the decision,” Dismukes said. “It’s about more than basketball. As coaches we try to make the best decisions for all our student-athletes and parents. Sometimes we have to make the best decisions for our families as well.
“This was the right decision for my family and I because of what a great opportunity it is to be the head coach at H-F.”
H-F athletic director Matt Lyke is confident he has the right man to take over for Condotti, who won five regional championships and had six seasons with 20-plus wins in his eight years with the Vikings.
“Coach Dismukes emerged from a rigorous search process as the clear choice,” Lyke said. “He is an excellent young coach with a clear vision for our program. He shows a sincere desire to help mentor young men and build strong relationships.
“I know he will build upon the rich tradition and history of Homewood-Flossmoor boys basketball.”
Dismukes, who graduated from Rich East in 2009 and played at Chicago State, was the head coach at his alma mater for one season in 2019-20, the school’s final year.
After the district consolidated into one athletic program and former Rich Central coach Cornelius Crossley became Rich Township’s coach, Dismukes went to Hyde Park for two seasons.
Last season, he coached the Thunderbirds to a 23-8 record, highlighted by a triumphant homecoming when Hyde Park won the Big Dipper at Rich Township, upsetting Thornton and Hillcrest in the semifinals and championship game, respectively.
He will bring a different style from the grind-it-out one H-F has often played in recent years.
“I think fans will be really excited about the way we play,” Dismukes said. “We’re going to play an up-tempo style that I don’t think they’ve seen in a while. I think we have the athletes here that can do anything I’m going to ask of them.”
For all its success, H-F has not won a sectional title since 2005-06 and a state trophy since 2003-04. The program has never won a state championship.
Dismukes hopes to change all that.
“I thought Marc Condotti did a great job,” he said. “Our goal is to just take it a step further, whether that be a sectional championship, a supersectional championship, a state title.
“The fan support and the community support here is amazing. We want to do those things for the fans.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
