Scott Kibby plans to meet with Larry Niemeyer after the season and discuss whether Niemeyer will return as the girls basketball coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson next season.

Kibby declined to reveal Thursday night whether a decision has already been reached.

"We'll talk about it after the season, but now is not the right time while his team is still going," said Kibby, the athletic director at Jefferson.

The J-Hawks (9-13) have a Class 4A regional playoff game at Ames Saturday night.

Niemeyer has a 871-351 record in 52 years as a girls basketball coach at Jefferson and Adel, making him the third-winningest coach in state history. He led the J-Hawks to the state basketball title in 1993.

Niemeyer said Sunday night he'd like to coach again next year, but declined further comment until after the season.

Niemeyer retired as a teacher at Jefferson after the 2010-11 school year. His contracts as Jefferson's girls basketball and softball coach are one-year appointments, unlike full-time teachers who have open-ended contracts.

Jefferson is not obligated to offer Niemeyer a contract for next season in basketball or softball. Kibby said that is "technically" correct, but not the entire story.

"Our handshake agreement when he retired (as a teacher) was to do it as long as he felt well enough," said Kibby. "But from a technical contractual standpoint, yes, he's on a one-year renewal."

Kibby said he hopes to reach a mutual, amicable decision with Niemeyer when the time comes to change coaches, whether it's this year or sometime in the future.

"I care very much about him, as I do the rest of my staff," said Kibby. "He's got a thousand basketball wins, he's got two thousand softball wins. He's dedicated his life to Jefferson. He loves this school."

Niemeyer has suffered from a series of health problems with kidney stones over the years.

"He's really struggled with some kidney issues, but he's felt much better the last couple of months," said Kibby. "He was not good at all in November at the start of the year."

Kibby said he's had several conversations with Niemeyer in recent years about his future at Jefferson. "It's been ongoing," he said. "We've always had those conversations."