Hamilton Heights has named former Brainerd assistant coach Stephen Cook as its new boys’ basketball coach.
Cook takes over for Zach Ferrell, who recently stepped down after seven years with the Hawks to join the Eastern Florida State College staff.
“I am super excited about this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started,” Cook said. “I’m very familiar with the program and how Coach Ferrell had things running.
“I believe all of my coaching stops so far have helped prepare me for this because I’ve been able to do a little bit of everything, from knowing how to run a practice, operating a budget, making travel plans and connecting with college coaches. Basically all the things people don’t see a coach do away from the game as well as coaching on the court.”
Cook, a 2009 Chattanooga Christian School graduate, was an assistant at Brainerd from 2014 to 2017 and helped the Panthers reach the TSSAA Class AA state tournament three times, including in 2016, when they reached the title game. He was also an assistant at Chattanooga State for two years and spent last season as an assistant at Life University, an NAIA program in Marietta, Georgia.