Kelvin Clay is a relative newcomer when it comes to high school coaches, but he just landed his dream job after only one year as a head coach in the Chattanooga area.
Clay was an outstanding two-sport at Red Bank before graduating in 2011 and going to Samford on a football scholarship.
After receiving a degree in Sports Administration in 2015, he came back to Chattanooga where he served as an assistant coach at Chattanooga State to Stacey Franklin for five years, serving as the team’s strength and conditioning coach at the end.
He has been the head basketball coach for the Brainerd Lady Panthers this past season, but is moving again as he’s been named to the same job at Red Bank.
Anybody that has followed high school basketball in Chattanooga knows that Red Bank has quite a rich tradition, starting a long time ago with the late Hutch Lewis back when the high school was located on Dayton Boulevard.
The Lionettes, that’s what they were called back in those days before switching to the more politically-correct Lady Lions in recent years, also had amazing success with the late John Crane in charge.
Susan Ingram Thurman, who the current gym is named for, had a successful run as did Bailey McGinnis in recent years.
Clay knows that his job will be a tough one as girls basketball at Red Bank has fallen on hard times in recent years, but he’s totally excited about his newest opportunity and he’s ready to get started.
“Those five years at Chattanooga State were great as we had some successful teams and I learned a whole lot from Stacey Franklin and Jay Price,” the 30-year-old Clay said during a break from class at Brainerd Tuesday afternoon.
“I learned a lot at Chattanooga State before I got my first head coaching job at Brainerd. I wanted to throw them to the fire with tough competition that first year and we made great progress in that one year.
“I developed some strong relationships while I was at Brainerd and think I had a positive impact, but I can’t believe I’m getting the chance to go back to where it all began,” he added with a smile.
In addition to being the head coach in girls basketball, he will also be an assistant coach in football under Ted Gatewood.
“I really learned a lot from coach Tim Daniels when I played for him at Red Bank. I’ll never forget the day he told me that I should get into coaching. I had always thought that I wanted to be a pro athlete, but that never seemed to work out.
“But I’m excited about everything as I’m ready to get started today. I get a chance to go back to a community that knows me. They know that Red Bank has had greatness in the past and I’m committed to making that happen again.
“I met the girls at Red Bank on Monday and asked them what their goals were. They all appear to have the hunger, the drive and the want to to be successful. And the best thing about sports is you get life lessons along the way as you move on to bigger and better things.
“It’s all about developing relationships. Life can be tough at times, but we need to learn how to handle adversity. But I want to change the basketball landscape not only at Red Bank, but Chattanooga in general,” he added.
Mandi Munn, the Red Bank athletic director, is certainly one member of the Red Bank family who is happy that Clay is back in the fold.
“We’re excited to announce that Kelvin is our next girls’ basketball coach. We feel that someone of his caliber and experience is exactly what our program needs to keep it moving and growing in the right direction,” Munn said in a prepared release.
“Kelvin was a star athlete in both football and basketball. However, he’s an even better person. We are confident that he will be a great role model for our students and we are thrilled to welcome him back home to Red Bank.”
Clay replaces Kevin Wilson, who has been Red Bank’s coach for the past two years.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)