GPS hosting Hoops for Hope

Hoops for HopeSaturday at GPS10 a.m.--Boyd-Buchanan girls vs. Red Bank; 11:30--GPS vs. Notre Dame; 1--Signal Mountain boys vs. Tyner; 2:30--Signal Mountain girls vs. Tyner.

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The Hoops for Hope high school basketball benefit for the MaryEllen Locher Foundation Scholarship Fund will take place Saturday at GPS beginning at 10 a.m. Admission is $10 with all proceeds going to the foundation.

This is the sixth year for the fundraiser, which previously has been held at Red Bank, Baylor and Signal Mountain. It was initiated by Signal Mountain boys' coach Steve Redman when he was the girls' coach at Red Bank.

This year the event will feature three girls' games, plus Signal Mountain's boys taking on Tyner at 1 p.m. in the day's third game.

The Locher fund helps provide college tuition for students who have had a parent diagnosed with breast cancer. To date, Hoops for Hope has provided scholarship assistance to 15 qualified local students.

"It's a great way to make people aware of breast cancer," GPS coach Jennifer Williams said. "It's also a way to offer scholarships to seniors from the schools involved if they've had a parent or grandparent who's had breast cancer."

Williams said foundation administrator Cindy Pare came to GPS earlier in the school year and spoke to its students about breast cancer and how to self-administer an examination.

"Since we have all girls, it's good for us to be involved, because breast cancer primarily affects women," Williams said. "There is a lot of education behind this, and by being involved we have benefited in the classroom, too."

Bloodsaw's credentials

Gary Bloodsaw was officially announced Monday as the new head football coach at Central.

Bloodsaw, 53, played quarterback for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He began his coaching career in his home state of Georgia, spending seven years at Duluth and three in DeKalb County before returning to Chattanooga.

He spent the next 17 years coaching football, basketball and track at Brown Middle and began coaching track at Central in 2010. He joined the Central football staff for the 2014 season and served as offensive coordinator and running backs coach.

Bloodsaw succeeds Ryan Mallory, who spent a year in the position.

Four enshired

Four Chattanooga-area football coaches were inducted into the Tennessee Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame this past week.

That group included the late E.B. "Red" Etter, who coached at Central and Baylor; the late Don Grider, South Pittsburg; Ken Colquette, Marion County, Grundy County and Sequatchie County; and Benny Monroe, McMinn County, Cleveland and Ooltewah.

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