CINCINNATI — Elder High School basketball coach Joe Schoenfeld suffered an accident at his home Wednesday morning and will be away from day-to-day basketball operations for an undetermined amount of time.
Schoenfeld had successful surgery Thursday to repair ruptured tendons in his legs, according to the Elder athletic department.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Schoenfeld, his wife Coleen and their daughters," Elder athletic director Kevin Espelage said in a statement.
"Joe’s legs will be immobilized for several weeks, but we all know Joe will prefer to be mobile and back on the court and in the classroom as soon as possible. Fortunately, team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Matthew Busam performed the surgery, he and the group at Mercy Health will see to a complete recovery.”
Schoenfeld has a 490-264 record since starting as Elder's head coach during the 1992-93 season.
Varsity assistant coach Jordan Murphy will be the Elder interim coach in Schoenfeld's absence. Murphy, a 2010 Elder graduate, has been a member of the Elder coaching staff for the past six years.
“I have total confidence in Jordan and the coaching staff," Espelage said. "We pride ourselves on running solid athletic programs and not just having a good team. There is a ‘Next Guy Up’ mentality in sports and we look forward to seeing our student-athletes accept this challenge.”
Elder (3-0) plays next on Dec. 15 against IMG Academy's varsity gold team as part of the Griffin Elite Basketball Classic.
