UTC Adds Clounch To Women's Basketball Staff

Thursday, July 22, 2021

As a child, Kristen Clounch was aware of the effect her father Joe Galloway had on people as a teacher and a coach at Lookout Valley High School.

"Growing up, I saw the impact dad had on my friends and peers," Kristen said. "I wanted to positively affect people's lives the best way I could. I liked math so I thought I could do it as a math teacher and a coach."

While enrolled at UTC, studying education, she began her 25-year coaching career.

First as her father's assistant with the girls basketball team and later as it's head coach and athletics director.

Katie Burrows, the youngest of the Galloway trio, was an eighth grader on the Yellow Jacket's varsity squad in Kristen's first year.

"I coached her for five years at Lookout Valley," Kristen said, "And I coached her in AAU in the summer."

That dynamic didn't always work for the younger sister.

"It was hard," Katie said. "I didn't want to listen to my sister. I used to get into a lot of trouble because my dad wouldn't allow me to be disrespectful to her.

"In hindsight, she was just looking out for her baby sister," Katie laughed. "Now we're best friends."

With the roles now reversed, they will be coaching together at Chattanooga with Katie as the head coach and Kristen in a role she prefers. Assistant.

"I've been an assistant for years," she recalled. "I worked with my dad for 25 years, so I'm comfortable with that."

She also assisted the volleyball, softball and boys basketball teams over quarter century at her alma mater.

"Personally, I know the big challenge ahead of me," she said. "While my job at Lookout Valley is incredibly challenging because I wear a lot of hats, I was ready for a different kind of challenge. Now I get to focus on the sport I love, at the university I love and graduated from."

Kristen, replacing former assistant Debbie Black, will work with the guards, scout opposing teams, recruit new talent and work with Katie on the schedule.

"She's one of my first phone calls after every single game," Katie said. "She's watched all of them, so she's familiar with our program. I don't feel like there's going to be any better person to bring in outside of our program who would fit better than she would."

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