Frank Howell brings his new team to Cedar Rapids Wednesday

CEDAR RAPIDS — His house is still here, still waiting for a buyer.

But his home is somewhere else.

'It's kind of like when you're a freshman in college, there's a new kind of excitement,' said Frank Howell, first-year women's basketball coach at Graceland University.

'But, honestly, there have been some meltdown moments in which I've been pretty homesick for Cedar Rapids.'

Howell, who coached the Washington High School girls' program to 221 wins and six state-tournament appearances in 13 years, brings his new team — the Graceland Yellowjackets (5-20) — to town Wednesday for a Heart of America Conference contest with Mount Mercy.

Tipoff is 5:30 p.m. at Hennessey Recreation Center.

'I've been looking forward to this for a long time,' Howell said. 'I've been back in town a couple times since we moved, and it always hits me about the time I get off the (Interstate 380) exit.

'It will hit me again Wednesday.'

Mount Mercy (12-14) is coached by Micha Mims, a key member of Howell's glory days at Washington, a four-year span (2004-05 through 2007-08) in which the Warriors reached the state tournament four times, the championship game on three occasions.

Washington had winning seasons in all 13 of Howell's seasons (221-83), but a new challenge was calling him.

He certainly got one at Graceland, an NAIA school in Lamoni — population 2,400, which hugs the Missouri border in south-central Iowa.

The Yellowjackets were 2-25 last year.

'No transition is going to be completely smooth,' Howell said. 'But the people here are great. The team has treated me well. The seniors have given me a fair shake.'

Graceland got its biggest win of the season Saturday, 82-72 over MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), the defending NAIA Division-I national champion.

'That was a huge statement win for us,' Howell said. 'We are trying to turn this into something special, and that felt like a really big moment.'

Howell, 47, is nostalgic about his days here.

'Every now and then, I miss it. I miss the people,' he said. 'My daughters were born at St. Luke's, and Cedar Rapids was the only home they knew.'

Meredith and Natalie are in fourth- and second-grade at Lamoni Elementary School. Howell's wife, Sarah, is doing a lot of substitute teaching and is working on her master's degree.

'Rural versus urban, both have special qualities,' Howell said. 'There isn't a place to get Indian food here, and there aren't many places to go see a movie.

'But sometimes I'll go for a long walk here, and I really value the quiet.

'Change is change, but not all change is bad.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com