Former University of Tennessee
at Chattanooga coach John Shulman is the new head basketball coach at McCallie School.McCallie School has found a familiar name to fill its head basketball coaching vacancy -- former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach John Shulman.
Shulman coached UTC for nine seasons, compiling a 145-146 overall record that included twice taking the Mocs to the NCAA tournament following Southern Conference tourney titles. With one year remaining on his contract there, Shulman and UTC officials agreed to end his tenure there last March. He has worked as director of sales for Access America since last May.
"I am excited about this opportunity," Shulman said. "It is a perfect fit for me. I want to help these young men achieve their dreams and goals. That is what this is all about, getting them to reach their fullest potential and be the best that they can be in life. If we can do that, we will have a successful program."
Shulman replaces Dan Wadley, who stepped down after eight seasons as the Blue Tornado coach. Wadley guided McCallie to three Division II stat- tournament appearances, the first in program history, including a state runner-up finish.
"We had known about Coach Wadley's plans to step down since late fall, which gave us plenty of time to quietly consider our options," McCallie athletic director Bubba Simmons said. "It was clear from the first conversations that both sides were equally interested and enthusiastic about the possibility. Coach Shulman will inherit a young team with real potential, and we look forward to him serving as a great leader and coach for us."
A native of Johnson City, Tenn., the 47-year old Shulman has more than 25 years of coaching experience including nine as head coach at UTC. He directed the Mocs to SoCon tournament championships and NCAA tournament berths in 2005 and 2009. His signature win was a 69-68 victory at Tennessee in 2004.
He worked as an assistant at East Tennessee State, Wofford and Tennessee Tech before coming with Jeff Lebo to UTC.
In addition to his duties as head basketball coach, Shulman will also serve as director of community outreach for the school. Shulman and his wife have three sons, including two who already are enrolled at McCallie.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.