McCallie has named David Conrady its new basketball coach.
Conrady, who is a former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga assistant and also coached previously at Chattanooga Christian School, returns to Chattanooga after two seasons coaching Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas. He replaces John Shulman, who stepped away from the Blue Tornado program two months ago.
"McCallie is such a unique opportunity, and when it opened up I knew I definitely wanted to pursue it," Conrady said. "The tradition of the school and what it stands for, striving for excellence, is something that makes this a very special place to work. To me, it's very humbling to have a chance to be a part of it."
Conrady will also serve as a mentor and advisor to McCallie's younger students as chaplain and Bible teacher in the middle school.
"David is a proven leader on the basketball court, but just as importantly he is a good man of strong faith and character," McCallie headmaster Lee Burns said. "He will help our boys grow and mature in ways that will not only improve their athletic skills, but will also prepare them to lead in their lives and communities as men of honor."
Conrady was named district coach of the year in 2016 while at CCS and was the coach of the year in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools in 2017, when he led Prestonwood to the Division 6A state championship. He guided the Lions to the 6A state semifinals last season.
In addition to his high school experience, Conrady spent nine years as head coach at Newberry College and North Greeneville University, has been an assistant at Mars Hill College and Presbyterian College, and was associate head coach at UTC from 2004 to 2010 under Shulman. During that time, the Mocs won three Southern Conference division titles, two Southern Conference championships and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament.
A three-year captain as the point guard at Furman University, where he graduated in 1987, Conrady started more than 50 consecutive games for the Paladins.
He also has international coaching experience, leading clinics in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Portugal and Ukraine while working as National Basketball Director for SCORE International.
"David's success at the various levels of coaching, as well as his desire to be a valuable member of the McCallie community and a mentor to young men, stood out among an impressive list of coaching candidates," athletic director Jeff Romero said in a release. "We feel he is the perfect fit for McCallie and the right person to lead the basketball program."
In four seasons under Shulman, McCallie went 100-32 and was the TSSAA Division II-AA state runner-up in 2017. The Blue Tornado finished 24-8 this year, with the season ending with a 52-50 loss to Memphis University School in the state quarterfinals.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.