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Prep notebook: Friday parade will honor Chattanooga Prep basketball team’s state title

Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Chattanooga Prep basketball coach Christian Collins, right, and his twin brother Christoffer Collins hold the team's gold ball state championship trophy after the Sentinels won the TSSAA Class 1A title last Saturday in Murfreesboro. Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Chattanooga Prep basketball coach Christian Collins, right, and his twin brother Christoffer Collins hold the team's gold ball state championship trophy after the Sentinels won the TSSAA Class 1A title last Saturday in Murfreesboro.

By Patrick MacCoon, Stephen Hargis March 21, 2024 6 min read

A parade and celebration will be held Friday for the Chattanooga Prep Sentinels, the area’s first boys’ basketball program in 17 years to win a TSSAA state championship.

Their 15-game winning streak to finish the 2023-24 season was capped by a 64-41 victory against Frank Hughes in the Class 1A final last Saturday in Murfreesboro. That ended a drought for the Chattanooga area that started after Tennessee Temple Academy won the Class 1A boys’ championship in 2007.

The parade is set for 10 a.m., with people encouraged to line the sidewalks on Kirby Avenue, South Hawthorne Street and Union Avenue near the school’s campus in Highland Park. Members of the team will also speak to fans at their home gym.

“The support from the city and everyone has been overwhelming and amazing,” first-year head coach Christian Collins said. “These boys put in so much work and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make this day possible. They kept pushing and made history. We have a bunch of high-character guys who are extremely motivated.”