Former Iowa High School Basketball Coach Pleads Guilty, Sentenced

Former Sibley-Ocheyedan coach Josh Earll pleaded guilty to an assault charge stemming from a 2023 incident.

Former Iowa basketball coach Josh Earlly had pled guilty to charge of assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, according to reports. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A former Iowa high school boys basketball head coach has entered an amended plea and been sentenced for his role in a 2023 incident.

Josh Earll, who served as the head boys basketball coach at Sibley-Ocheyedan High School during the 2024-2025 season, reached a plea agreement and pled guilty to a charge of assault causing bodily injury or mental illness on August 14, 2026. The charge is classified as a serious misdemeanor.

According to a report by N’West Iowa, Earll asked a then-15-year-old female if she wanted to hot tub with him. She declined.

Court Records Detail 2023 Incident

Earll later asked the girl if she would pick him up from a local bar that evening and drive him to his residence. She agreed and met Earll around 1 a.m. July 23, 2023, according to the report.

The girl worked under Earll's supervision in Sibley, according to a complaint and affidavit filed in Osceola County District Court by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

According to the criminal complaint, Earll touched the girl underneath her shorts while she was at his residence.

Earll was arrested Jan. 2, 2026, at his home on an Osceola County warrant.

He subsequently pleaded not guilty to the original charge of lascivious conduct with a minor — fondling or touching. The case was resolved after Earll instead pleaded guilty to the amended assault charge.

Earll Coached Sibley-Ocheyedan for One Season

Earll was hired to coach the Sibley-Ocheyedan varsity boys basketball team for the 2024-25 season after serving as a varsity assistant the previous season.

He was expected to return for the 2025-26 season, but the Sibley-Ocheyedan School District Board of Education terminated his contract during a special meeting Nov. 4, 2025.

The Generals went 2-21 in Earll's lone season as head coach, their second consecutive 2-21 finish. They averaged just over 46 points per game while allowing more than 70.

Sibley-Ocheyedan lost 13 consecutive games before defeating George-Little Rock 58-45 in the opening round of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A district tournament. The Generals' season ended with a 62-37 loss to Boyden-Hull in the following round.

Bill Hartzell replaced Earll as head coach for the 2025-26 season and guided the Generals to a 15-9 record, the program's first winning season since 2010-11. Mitchell Winterfeld is listed as Sibley-Ocheyedan's head coach for the upcoming season.