Kintzel: 'There's a little interest there'

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Bob Kintzel does not teach, and both of his daughters are out of the house.

He's happy as the girls' basketball coach at Mount Vernon High School, but said he "is not obligated to stay."

Kintzel, who coached the Mustangs to the 2010 Class 2A state championship, said Tuesday that he has not applied for the vacant position at either Cedar Rapids Jefferson or Cedar Rapids Kennedy. But he might.

"I would say that there's a little interest there," he said. "I feel I've done quite a bit at Mount Vernon, but you always wonder what the next challenge might be."

Kintzel, 49, has compiled a record of 102-19 in five seasons at Mount Vernon. The Mustangs were crowned in 2010, then were 3A runners-up in 2011.

The bulk of that team graduated, but Mount Vernon went 17-5 and repeated as Wamac Conference East Division champions last winter.

Larry Niemeyer stepped down at Jefferson last Tuesday, then Kennedy announced Wednesday that Dennis Roloff would not be retained.

While both schools would prefer to have a teacher/coach combination, a non-teaching coach would not be a deal-breaker.

Kintzel is a manager for North Cedar Recycling in Stanwood and lives in Mount Vernon. Both of his daughters, Shelby and Courtney, play volleyball at the University of Northern Iowa.

"Ideally, we would like somebody from in the building, but the most important thing is that the person is the right person for the job," Kennedy athletics director Aaron Stecker said.

Jefferson Principal Chuck McDonnell said, "We're looking for someone with a vision for the program. It sounds as if (Kintzel) would definitely have the credentials to apply."

McDonnell said that Jefferson already has at least four online applications.

Kennedy was 13-10 last season; Jefferson was 9-14 in an injury-ravaged campaign.

Williamsburg Coach Aaron Feddersen said he is not interested in either job, but said, "(Kintzel) would be a good choice for either position."