Central Girls Hand May 400th Coaching Win

  • Thursday, February 15, 2018
  • James Beach
Central girls head coach Rick May achieved a coaching milestone Thursday night as he recorded his 400th career win. His Lady Pounders defeated Howard, 44-8, in a District 6-2A tournament game.
Central girls head coach Rick May achieved a coaching milestone Thursday night as he recorded his 400th career win. His Lady Pounders defeated Howard, 44-8, in a District 6-2A tournament game.
photo by Dennis Norwood/File Photo

Rick May had the U-Haul hitched up and was all but out of the driveway of his soon-to-be former home in Bowling Green, Kentucky when the phone rang. It was the president of some school in Chattanooga calling about a job opening at Boyd-Buchanan.

 

May had just accepted a coaching job in Shreveport, La., and he politely told the kind caller such, but perhaps feeling a little divine intervention, he told him Chattanooga was on the way and he would pay a cursory visit nonetheless.

 

Rick May is like that. There have never been strangers in his world, but rather friends he hasn’t met yet.

 

So off it was to Chattanooga and this Boyd-Buchanan school for what turned into a life-changing event for the Mays.

 

“My wife Sherry is from Nashville, so we left Kentucky, drove to Chattanooga and were coming back up to Nashville to spend a day or two with her parents before heading to Louisiana. I was really conflicted after meeting with Boyd-Buchanan and as we drove back to Nashville, Sherry was sleeping and I asked God for a sign,’’ May explained. “Right about then we passed an exit on I-24 that said Buchanan road and I woke Sherry up and told her we were going to Chattanooga.”

 

And for the next 22 years, May set about turning Boyd-Buchanan into one of the most feared girls program in the state, taking it to heights it had never been or has been since he left to take over the girls’ program at Chattanooga Central a dozen years ago..

 

Tuesday night, the Lady Pounders provided him with a milestone victory, his 400th coaching win in a career that spanned 36 seasons now. Central knocked off Howard 44-8 in the opening game of the District 6-AA tournament and will travel to third-seeded Tyner on Friday.

 

“It’s been a long journey, but it’s been a real blessing for me. This is the game I love and the wins and the losses don’t matter near as much as the relationships. I walked into a gold mine at Boyd-Buchanan as far as great athletes, but when I came to Central it was different, but every bit the same blessing. It’s all about being role models to these young kids, and I feel like I was put here for that very reason,” said May

.

And what a role model May has been through the years. It doesn’t take one long to find the fruits of his labor in the local basketball scene. Two of his star players at Boyd-Buchanan, Kim Beck Sisk and Tracey Barnett Walker are both teaching the lessons May taught them on the court. Sisk coaches the middle school program at Boyd-Buchanan and Walker has been the high school coach prior to taking a year off to care for her youngest son.

 

“We were his kids. It was all about building relationships and trusting each other. He was a young coach who cared for all of us. Sherry and he took us into their house and treated us like we were one of their own, everyone us. It was just a special time and one that had a lasting impact on my life,” said Sisk.

 

Although she doesn’t see the Mays as much as she did back in the day, Sisk was quick to point out they are never far removed from one another.

“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago, within a week of the diagnosis I got a card in the letter from Coach May with the sweetest note and a gift card. That’s the kind of guy he is and he deserves anything and everything good that happens to him. What an incredible accomplishment to win that many basketball games,” Sisk added.

 

The Lady Bucs won five District titles, two regions and made back-to-back trips to the state tournament under May’s direction. In the two state runs in 1988 and 1989, the Lady Bucs won 62 of 67 games.

 

“When I played for Coach May he just always challenged us to be better, to push our limits and in turn that taught us life lessons about persevering and never just being satisfied. I will never forget how red his face would get when he was upset with us and he had a very powerful stomp in him. When I started coaching at Boyd-Buchanan I used to go over to the floor where he would stand and stomp and I swear I could feel the indention there after all these years,” said Walker, who went on to play at UTC.

 

“We were a family and Sherry and Coach May were every bit the parents to us. It was a special time,” Walker added.

 

May currently stands at 400-255 and it is a resume that stacks up against any coach in Chattanooga.

 

“I got to 200 of those wins pretty quick thanks to those girls at Boyd-Buchanan. A lot of high IQ players who loved the game. Memories I will never ever forget. We were ranked No. 1 for most of the year and when we got to state we played a Wayne County team who showed up with some old 1970s uniforms and I could see in our girls’ eyes they thought we had it.

 

“Well, we got it all right. They came out and handed it to us, but that was one of the life lessons every one of those girls took with them. There is no such thing as a silver platter in life, nothing is ever handed to you. You have to earn it,” said May.

 

Two of the folks May most attributed for his success were former fellow Boyd-Buchanan coach Ricky Perry and his wife of 36 years Sherry.

 

“Ricky was my sounding board and I was his back in the day. I cut my teeth with him and he’s just a special guy. Sherry has been my rock since we started dating my sophomore year in college. We raised our two girls Allison and Shelby on the basketball courts and I’m just thankful for the opportunity I have had to be able to do what I love for this long,” May added.

 

“Coach May was just the perfect coach for a bunch of emotional girls. He made basketball relevant and he made us all believe in each other. He was just the perfect coach for us, even when he tried to get mad at us, he couldn’t.

 

“One time at Greenback in the sub-state we were playing awful, and I’m pretty sure he had someone put a garbage can in the middle of the floor in the dressing room so he could come in and kick it. Well, he kicks and it flies into the shower, hits the handle and turns on the water, and we all just started laughing. He couldn’t be mean to us if he tried,” said Sisk.

 

Even today as the frustration of a four win basketball seasons turns his hair a little whiter every night, he can be heard coaching the Lady Pounders up.

 

“Flash to the high post,” he yells.

 

“Be strong. Block out. Don’t you dare make that pass,” he screams at different times.

But he is always there to high five the girl he takes out of a game, sitting her down next to him, to get her ready for next time she will sub in.

 

Rick May is the exact same coach he was taking teams to the state tournament or picking up a fourth win as a long season winds to an end.

 

“In graduate school I used to research and research trying to find sources until all of a sudden I was getting all the same info and I knew it was time to stop with the research. Coaching basketball gives you something new every day, every season, and every game. We may have 30 turnovers in a game, but the next practice we get right back after it. I truly love this game,” May concluded.

 

The Lady Pounders gave up a 3-pointer to Imani Rowe about 15 seconds into the game and then held the Hustlin’ Lady Tigers without another point until the third period as they ran off a 23-0 run. Rowe scored all eight points for Howard.

 

Ja’nya West led Central with her 24 points and Alyssa Coffman scored six points in the first quarter to get the Lady Pounders in gear.

 

 

Howard       3   0    2    3   --   8

Central     16    7    17   4  --  44

 

HOWARD (8) – Knox, Washington, Flowers, Reed, Rowe 8, Eppinger, Simmons, Houser.

CENTRAL (44) – Simpson, Coffman 6, West 24, Harrington 2, Traylor 2, Ladd, Cassens, Vaulx 6, Glenn 4.

3-point goals: Howard 2 (Rowe 2); Central 1 (West)

 

(Contact James Beach via email at 1134james@gmail.com or Twitter @beachnut1134)

 

 

 

Latest Headlines
Sports
UTC Sofbtall Hosts ETSU In Friday Doubleheader
  • 3/28/2024

The Chattanooga softball team returns to Frost Stadium for a seven-game home stand that begins Friday afternoon against East Tennessee State in Southern Conference action. The Mocs are 21-8 ... more

Covenant Men's Tennis Loses 6-3
  • 3/28/2024

The Covenant Scots looked to boost their nonconference tennis resume with a win on the road at Oglethorpe. Covenant was unable to get the job done, as it fell 3-6. Final: Covenant 3, Oglethorpe ... more

7 Football Mocs Participate In Annual Pro Day
  • 3/28/2024

The Chattanooga Mocs had a 7-man contingent go through their paces in front of NFL scouts at the annual Pro Day. It started in the Wolford Family Strength & Conditioning Center before shifting ... more