Guthrie Center High School has an alum coaching basketball at the highest colligate level.

Jim Flanery graduated Guthrie Center High School in the early 80’s and is now coaching the Creighton women’s basketball team into the sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The Creighton women’s basketball team defeated Iowa in the second round and now will face Iowa State in the tournament. Flanery says it is ironic that he is from Iowa and playing back to back Iowa schools in the NCAA tournament.

“(I have)Strong feelings about the state I grew up in. And we’ve recruited a lot of kids from Iowa and in the Midwest, but but also Iowa. And yeah, to get a chance now to play Iowa State, although we have to go to North Carolina to do it, it’s pretty cool. And our familiarity with their programs is is pretty great, obviously, because we recruit a lot of the same players at both Iowa and Iowa State.”

The Creighton Lady Blue jays will play Friday against Iowa State for a chance to go to the elite eight on ESPN 2 in North Carolina.