Cleveland head coach Jason McCowan calls the defense for his team. The East Hamilton Hurricanes visited the Cleveland Blue Raiders in TSSAA basketball action on February 3, 2017.Cleveland High School boys' basketball coach Jason McCowan resigned Sunday after 12 years with the program. McCowan, who compiled a 243-103 overall record, led the Blue Raiders to four district and two region championships and reached the Class AAA state tournament last season.
Reggie Tucker, who had been a Blue Raiders assistant for nine years, accepted an offer to take over the program at his alma mater.
McCowan was named District 5-AAA coach of the year four times and was the Times Free Press Best of Preps coach of the year after the 2010 season. He stepped down as both coach and teacher at Cleveland to accept a position with the Flippen Group, where he will be an educational strategist for the LeadWorthy Program.
"I have enjoyed working with the many athletes and families during my time as their coach," McCowan said in a released statement. "It truly has been an honor. Cleveland is an amazing town and I will forever be grateful for everything everyone has done for me and my family."
Tucker, who played point guard for Cleveland for three seasons and holds the school records for single-game and single-season assists, played collegiately at Hiwassee and LSU. He played professionally in Europe and with the ABA's Kansas City Knights and has coached on the summer AAU circuit since 2008.
"Coach Tucker is a fierce competitor with a tremendous knowledge of basketball," Cleveland athletic director David Turner said in a released statement. "He excels in having personal relationships with student-athletes and has a deeply devoted sense of pride for our basketball program, school and community.
"We all have benefited from his involvement at Cleveland High, and our basketball program will continue to be successful because of his leadership."