Former Red Bank High School player Corey Lazenby has been hired as the school's boys' basketball coach. He succeeds John Cherne, who resigned after last season to take the boys' basketball job at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita, Kan.
After graduating from Red Bank in 1991, Lazenby played college basketball at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn. Lazenby's coaching career began in Georgia after he played for two and a half years in the International Basketball Review. Most recently he coached at Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock, Ark.
Lazenby said he has a 10-year-old daughter, Alexis, who lives in Chattanooga and that played a big role in his decision to want to move back. He will meet with his new team for the first time today.
"I'm looking forward to being back at home, back with my Lions, and we'll go from there," Lazenby said.
As far as his basketball philopophies, Lazenby considers himself a defensive-minded coach. He plans to bring in longtime friend and former Tyner and East Tennessee State standout Geoff Herman as his assistant coach.
"We just like the way he carries himself," Red Bank principal Gail Chuy said of Lazenby. "He's very dedicated to what he does. Life lessons are important to him, too. I think that's what was most important to us. He stresses teamwork and playing as a team. I'm really excited about him being here."
Carbonell moving up
Brittany Carbonell, who coached the eighth-grade team last spring, has been elevated to high school varsity softball coach at Boyd-Buchanan School. She succeeds Jeff Stone, who resigned at the end of last season to spend more time with family.
Carbonell played three seasons at Evansville University in Indiana after transferring from Middle Tennessee State. She played in high school at Ezell-Harding, a mid-state Class A postseason rival of the Lady Bucs in the past.
Carbonell said her ambition has been to become a high school coach. She added that she feels comfortable in a private-school atmosphere similar to the one from which she came.
"We have some building to do," Carbonell said. "I think we can turn this program into something it used to be. I have a very positive outlook on it, that's for sure."
BBS promotes Scott
Ashley Scott has been promoted by Boyd-Buchanan School from junior varsity volleyball coach to head coach of the high school team. She is succeeding Amber Nolen, who resigned after last season to take a coaching position in South Dakota.
Scott played at Ringgold High School, then at Tennessee Temple University for two years. She is expecting to earn a degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in December.
Scott spent two years as Nolen's assistant and the Lady Bucs played in the Class A state-championship match in both, winning the title in 2009. Two-time TSWA all-state selection Stephanie Silvers graduated off that team and another two-time choice, Rachel Harper, was a senior last season.
"There's a lot of expectations, but nothing I feel like with a long summer of practice we couldn't keep the ball rolling," Scott said. "We've always had two, three, four girls that were above the rest. This year we'll have six girls on the floor and 10 girls on the team that are all at the same level. It will be different than having two or three star players, but I think we can do well if we get everybody on the same page."
Ziegler new AD at Marion
Troy Boeck has resigned as Marion County High School athletic director but will remain on as the school's football coach. Boeck had worked in both capacities for the last four years but stepped down as AD and will be succeeded by Larry Ziegler.
"This will allow me to concentrate more on my job as football coach," Boeck said. "It's been a pretty smooth transition, and I think Larry will do a great job now."
One of Ziegler's first tasks will be finding a new baseball coach after Tony Long resigned after one season. Long came to Marion County from White House High School, but recently resigned to become the head coach at Franklin County High. Although the Warriors finished with a sub-.500 record last season, they did advance to a Class A state sectional before falling one game shy of reaching the state tournament.
"Coach Long did a great job in just one year but he was used to working at much larger programs," Ziegler said. "I don't think he planned to leave after just one year, but that's the way it worked out. We hope to make an announcement on a new hire by next week."