Former Rochester hoops coach, Pioneer assistant Metcalfe dies at 45

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Former Rochester boys basketball coach and Pioneer assistant coach Jim Metcalfe died Wednesday.

A published obituary stated that he had cancer. He was 45.

Rochester hired Metcalfe to replace Rob Malchow after Malchow stepped down in 2011. He coached Rochester in the 2011-12 season and compiled a 5-17 record.

He left after the season to take the coaching job at Peru, his alma mater. He went 43-44 in four seasons there but was replaced by Eric Thompson in May 2016, and that was his final head coaching stint.

The obituary stated that he had been working at Cabinetworks Group as a regional account specialist.

Metcalfe was a 1996 Peru grad who went on to play collegiately at both Florida Atlantic and Indiana State. Coached by Royce Waltman, Metcalfe was a 5-10 guard on Indiana State teams that reached back-to-back NCAA tournaments in 2000 and 2001.

He held assistant coaching and teaching jobs at Peru, Carmel and Warren Central before landing an assistant coaching job at Pioneer on Pat Skaggs’ staff prior to the 2009-10 season. The Panthers won back-to-back sectionals in 2010 and 2011 with Metcalfe on the staff.

Metcalfe took over a Rochester team that graduated six seniors, including sharpshooting guard Evan Hoff and forward Collin Harris, their top two scorers from 2010-11. The team also lost point guard Michael Hohm to transfer.

Relying on a backcourt of Aaron Stuart and Zac Schoen and a frontcourt of Jonathon O’Dell, Luke Cannedy and Seth Corn, highlights of the 2010-11 season included road wins at North Miami and Southwood.

Rochester also beat Winamac in the sectional semifinals on Winamac’s home floor after having lost to Winamac during the regular season. The season ended with a 56-41 loss to Hebron in the sectional final.

Metcalfe is survived by daughter Leighton, 11, who was born just prior to the 2012 sectional when Metcalfe was the Zebra coach.

He is also survived by his mother Janet, a sister Darcy and a nephew Coltrane.

Visitation is set for 1-5 p.m. Sunday at Eikenberry Eddy Funeral Home, 84 W. Main Street, Peru.

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church of Peru.

Metcalfe’s father, who was also named Jim, died on Feb. 8 and at age 81.