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.