Victor and Amanda Underwood
photo by Contributed
Victor Underwood has been named the new girls’ basketball coach at Silverdale Baptist Academy, athletic director Tim Couch announced in an e-mail.
Underwood, 26, who was an assistant girls coach at Mt. Juliet Christian Academy, his alma mater, for five years, succeeds Tim Thompson.
“Leaving your alma mater is tough, but I’m excited about the opportunity at Silverdale, said Underwood, who is heading into his first head coaching venture.
“We have family in the area and that made it a little bit easier.”
David Haley, the brother of Anna Underwood, and his wife, Amanda, reside in Chattanooga.
The Underwoods have a 6-month-old daughter, Harper, and the family is currently in the process of moving to Chattanooga. Victor Underwood officially assumes control of the girls’ program later this month.
Underwood has been conducting practices for the Lady Seahawks and the team has participated in two camps in Murfreesboro and Shelbyville.
“I met with the girls briefly before our first practice and we’ve had several practices and the two camps, so I’m really excited the chance to do big things with this team,” Underwood said. “There’s a lot of talent on the team and we have five seniors.”
The young coach, who played basketball for three years at Bryan College and then transferred to Cumberland University to play football for two seasons, will utilize an aggressive up-tempo style of basketball with the Lady Seahawks.
“We’re going to push the ball in transition and try to score early in the possession,” he said. “Defensively, we’re going to get into people and try to force turnovers.”
In three years at Mt. Juliet Christian, Underwood helped the Lady Saints win more games than in the previous 24 years combined.
Thompson decided to step down as the Lady Seahawks girls coach after three years, during he posted a 72-21 record, winning 20-plus game each season. Thompson was twice selected as District 5-1A Coach of the Year.
Thompson will remain on the SBA faculty, retain his position as middle school athletic director and serve as an assistant coach with the middle school baseball and boys’ soccer teams.
“We’re trying to amp up our program a little bit,” Thompson said, “and I need to spend more time with that. Basketball is basically a year-round thing now. We want to take our elementary and middle school programs into one and that’s just going to take a little more of my time.
“My time coaching the girls’ team has been a great experience and Tim (Couch) has been great to work for. Every experience I’ve had here has been positive and I’ve enjoyed it.”
Thompson has gotten to know Underwood over the last month or so and believes he will be a good fit for the girls’ basketball program.
“He knows his stuff,” Thompson said of Underwood. “He’s a sharp young man and can be with the program a long time. If you want to build a program, you have to keep people with it over the long term. Victor offers us that.”
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)