With a mixture of Pat Summitt and her mother’s coaching expertise, Katie Wright has helped produce the strongest two-year span for Soddy-Daisy Lady Trojans basketball this century.
Wright remembers being told “good luck” when she arrived as the new coach in summer 2021, taking over a high school program where one of the first challenges was building confidence within the team.
After all, the Lady Trojans had only three 15-win seasons over the previous 20 years.
“As soon as my assistant and I arrived here, we knew we had talent, but they didn’t believe in themselves,” Wright said. “The game was all mental for them. They were playing afraid. But they overcame that fear.
“Every day we worked fundamentals, ball-handling, passing, man-to-man principles, and worked the shell drill. We still do those things every day in practice. They have worked and worked to create a culture they can be proud of here.”
Wright certainly understands what goes into building a winning culture, and a sustainable one at that.
The Knoxville native was a three-time state champion at her hometown’s Webb School from 2011-15, where Wright went 117-20 playing for her mom, Shelley Collier, who was the starting point guard on Tennessee Lady Volunteers coach Pat Summitt’s first of eight NCAA tournament championship teams. Collier was also a pallbearer and spoke at Summitt’s funeral in 2016.
“I have truly been blessed to have been a part of Coach Summitt’s life,” Wright said. “She was the first person my mom visited outside of the hospital after I was born. I was a ballgirl for the Lady Vols and really learned a lot from her and my mom. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
Wright’s leadership has the Lady Trojans 19-10 overall this season and riding a nine-game winning streak entering the upcoming District 6-AAA tournament at East Ridge.
The streak began with a 35-30 win at Signal Mountain. Both teams went 11-1 in district play this season, with the Lady Eagles (22-5) taking the tiebreaker for the top seed thanks to an eight-point road win against the Lady Trojans.
“These girls have done a fantastic job. Especially the seniors,” Wright said. “They have put in the work and battled out there on the court against a tough schedule this season. We took some close defeats early in the year against some really good teams that really hurt but have started to pay off in the long run.”
Four of the Lady Trojans’ nine losses have come by four or fewer points, with the quartet of close defeats against Silverdale Baptist Academy (18-12), Cannon County (15-8), Community (19-6) and Van Buren County (16-8).
Soddy-Daisy seniors Jada Trimiar and Candyce Yother have provided a formidable post presence along with sophomore Hannah Patterson — she has averaged close to a double-double in points and rebounds and is an excellent passer — while senior point guard Cameron Varner and junior guard Alivia Hall have been solid as well, and seniors Melody Crawley and Emma Harding have also helped the program’s transformation.
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Soddy-Daisy girls’ basketball coach Katie Wright hugs one of her players during the Lady Trojans’ recent senior night. The Lady Trojans have won 39 games in Wright’s first two seasons and hope to win their upcoming district tournament at East Ridge.There have been moments of inspiration.
The Lady Trojans are undefeated since a post on their social media account on Jan. 14 expressed support for freshman teammate Cara Corcione, who is battling cancer.
And during the first quarter of the recent senior night victory against Central, senior Alivia Trimiar, Jada’s twin, hit a corner 3-pointer as the sisters played together for the first time in two years as Alivia has been out due to a leg injury.
The changes in the program were apparent even in Wright’s first season, with the Lady Trojans going 20-11 a year ago and making their first appearance in a region tournament since 2015. Now they’re approaching another 20-win season, having already secured back-to-back winning records for the first time this century.
“The biggest thing is they now believe in themselves and the culture we are building,” Wright said. “We are going to keep building and getting better. I didn’t even know what Soddy-Daisy was before I met my now husband in college at MTSU. This has turned out to be one of the biggest if not the biggest blessings in my life. These girls I love to death and would be so honored if I was lucky enough to have a daughter one day who was anything like them.”
Wright has changed the expectations quickly, and the Lady Trojans are speeding toward them.
“We talked about winning championships since day one, and now we have a chance to get there,” Wright said. “Whatever happens, it is still just a game. But these girls want this, and I want it for them. We are excited to see what happens next.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.