For the first time since Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences’ first basketball season 37 years ago, there will not be a member of the Dragoo family overseeing the boys’ program.
Zach Dragoo, who has been head coach of the Patriots the past five seasons and was an assistant for his dad, Mark, for 16 years before that, has resigned to take over the program at Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, Alabama.
“It’s definitely surreal to think about the fact that I won’t be working at this school anymore,” Dragoo said. “I’m 41 years old, and all but seven years of my life have been spent either attending school here or coaching in some way.
“When I told the team … that was really tough. I told them this is an incredible opportunity for me and my family, and hopefully those kids have learned that I’m a man of faith, and when God calls you to do something, you follow that call and do it. This was a difficult decision, but I’m also hopeful for the future and what God’s plans are for me in the next step.”
The Dragoo family has been synonymous with CSAS athletics since the school opened in 1988. Mark Dragoo took over the boys’ basketball program in 1989 before the Patriots tipped off their second season, and he guided the team to TSSAA Class 1A state runner-up finishes in 1991 and 2007. He also worked as the school’s athletic director for 33 years, and before his retirement in 2019, to recognize a career that included 558 wins, CSAS named its gym floor in his honor.
“We are grateful to Coach (Zach) Dragoo for his 21 years of dedication to CSAS basketball,” principal Robert Alford said in a news release. “His impact on the program, our athletes and the entire CSAS community has been immeasurable.
“This marks the end of an incredible era. Since 1989, CSAS basketball has been led by either Mark or Zach Dragoo, shaping generations of student-athletes with passion, integrity and excellence. Their legacy will forever be a part of our school’s history.”
The school has started the search for its next head coach.
Dragoo, who played for his dad from 1997 to 2002 at CSAS and played at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga the following two seasons, led the Patriots to a district championship and a region runner-up finish in 2021. The program moved up to Class 2A the following season.
“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about CSAS is not a game, it’s just the fact that the basketball program is a family,” Dragoo said. “I had four former players working on my staff last season, and guys who played here come back to visit all the time. The players are what I’ll remember most.
“There’s nothing like the roar of a crowd on Third Street when the gym is packed.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.