Five years ago, a dream and vision were set for Chattanooga Preparatory School’s basketball program by head coach Christoffer Collins and an eager group of sixth graders.
On the old stomping grounds of Tennessee Temple University, the Sentinels went to work in the gymnasium they refer to as “the Lab” with a goal of elevating their game under Collins, who helped former Bradley Central High School standout Rhyne Howard blossom into the WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick and reigning rookie of the year.
No challenge has been too big for a path of trailblazers.
Chattanooga Prep opened in 2018 as the city’s first all-boys public charter school, welcoming 66 students at the time. As the school has grown with a new class of sixth graders each year, its student-athletes have been able to move up the sports ladder of competition as well. Last fall represented another step forward with the school’s first year of varsity high school football.
In Chatt Prep’s first season of varsity basketball in 2021-22, a Sentinels team that included three eighth graders and no players beyond the ninth grade made an appearance in a TSSAA Class A sectional, losing to 2020 state champion Clay County.