Hixson didn't have to go far to find its next high school volleyball coach. All the administrators had to do was look down the Lady Wildcats' bench.
Robert Catlett was an assistant coach for the last nine years and will be taking over the program from Janet Tate, who resigned at the end of last season.
Catlett has been involved with volleyball since the early 1990s, coaching mainly at the club level. He has remained involved in club ball throughout his time helping at Hixson and Loftis Middle.
Under Tate and Catlett, the Lady Wildcats earned a Class AA state-tournament berth in 2015. It was a first in program history.
"One of my goals was to help Janet get to the state tournament," Catlett said. "I knew in softball she won a couple of state titles. Of course, I wanted to help her win state, but at least it was just one of my goals to help get her there."
Catlett said his philosophies and Tate's are a lot alike, but he'll "tweak some things." Catlett graduated from Hixson in 1987 and said he was lucky enough to get connected with Tate, wishing it would've been sooner.
"I don't care about coaching anywhere else," he said.
Valdosta gets Smith
LaFayette golfer Gage Smith has accepted a scholarship offer to continue his career at NCAA Division II Valdosta State. He plans to sign Thursday.
Smith has been a Times Free Press Best of Preps selection three times and is a former area champion whose runner-up finish this year helped the Ramblers win the championship by 36 strokes. He went on to a top-10 finish in the Class AAAA state tournament. His best state finish was fourth in 2016.
"He's maybe the most unbelievable competitor I've coached," LaFayette coach Tom Langford said of Smith, who steadily improved his stroke average throughout his prep career to 72.8 last season. "He just loves the big stage."
Langford added that Smith finished ninth among 230 golfers in the Future Masters in June at Dothan, Ala.
"That's really what got him on Valdosta State's radar," Langford said.
Haag headed to King
Whitwell's Camryn Haag will sign scholarship papers Thursday to continue her softball career at NCAA Division II King University in Bristol, Tenn.
Haag played third base as a freshman, then moved to shortstop, where she's played the last two seasons.
"Honestly, she can play anywhere," Whitwell coach Rebecca Castle said. "She can play catcher, she can play infield or outfield. She can just find the ball."
Haag batted .395 and hit four home runs as a junior for the Lady Tigers, helping them win the District 6-A regular-season and tournament titles and the Region 3 championship. They advanced to the state tournament.
"She can produce," Castle said. "She batted in the five hole, or five or six hole for us all last year. She hit with power, and she hit singles and doubles. She was consistent. I think she'll do well there."
City jamboree Thursday
The city basketball jamboree will be held Thursday at Chattanooga Christian School starting at 6 p.m. The last period, each scheduled 20 minutes apart, is set to start at 9.
The exhibition will include 10 girls' teams and eight boys' teams. There will be a break in the action at 7:20 for what is being called the Waffle House Shootout.
The Shootout consists of four athletes from each school having one minute in which to make a layup, a free throw, a 3-point goal and a half-court shot. Teams that make the four shots in time will advance to a second round. That round will be timed and a champion will be determined by the team making the shots in the least amount of time.
Admission to the jamboree costs $5.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.