CHARLESTON, Tenn. -- For the second time in as many months, Walker Valley has a new head girls basketball head coach.
After two-year head coach Paul Sausville resigned this spring, a search was made and veteran coach Todd Wright, with over 400 career victories was hired in late May.
Wright came down to work with the team through the June camp, but then last week resigned to accept an administrative position that allows him and his new bride to stay in the Livingston area.
Since with school about to start and the vast majority of potential coaches already signed, WVHS began to look within its present staff and found newly-hired Special Ed/Math teacher Angela Campbell, who has over 13 years of coaching experience.
For Campbell it was a bit of déjà vu.
"Last year before the season our boys' basketball coach at Chilhowee Middle School resigned and they asked me to step in," related the new Walker Valley head girls' basketball coach.
"Ironically, I was supposed to to help Jessica Stone, who was the last female head coach here at Walker Valley, with that team again this year before I decided to come back to Bradley County and took a position here."
A former Polk County Wildkitten under legendary coach Ron Davis, Campbell, who was a Tipton back then, earned a scholarship to play at Lee College as well, but a ruptured disc after her first season brought her playing career to a close.
While at Polk she earned All-District and All-Region honors all three seasons, plus was an All-State honorable mention her sophomore campaign.
In her junior campaign, she was named District and Region MVP, as well as winning the Best of Preps award and All-State honors.
Playing center for the Wildkittens, she scored more than 1,600 points in just three seasons.
"I already had enough classes in to graduate after my junior year and Lee had made me an offer to come play for them, so I graduated early," she explained.
While in Lee, she started her coaching career, directing the second- and third-grade team at Waterville Elementary, ironically where her husband Kirk Campbell of 25 years is the new principal.
After graduating Lee and going onto the the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to earn her teaching degree, she coached and taught at Gladden Middle School in Chatsworth, Georgia, for three years before becoming the first coach when North Murray High School was opened.
Prior to going to Chilhowee Middle last year as the family was planning to build a house in Polk County, Campbell taught at Bradley Central High School for 10 years.
"I know it's a tough challenge to compete with Bradley and Cleveland, but Kirk and I had been praying about what God's purpose for me is and we feel like this is it.
"Our goal is to be competitive this year and grow. We know we are playing in a tough district, but we look forward to the challenge.
"I have several players that also play soccer and volleyball in the fall, but I will have a chance to get to know them," she added.
"We're not going to do a second 'cut,' because I want as many players in the program as we can get," she said with 22-24 girls currently in the program. "We're going to try to get a freshman schedule together, which we (WV) haven't done for several years, to get those girls more experience.
"Our goal is to be competitive this year and grow. We know we are playing in a tough district, but we look forward to the challenge.
A math teacher throughout her teaching career, Campbell is also accepting a new challenge in the classroom this year, working with special ed students.
"We found not too many special ed teachers are math teachers, so I am part of an 'Inclusion Services Program' to help those students with advanced math," she related.
As for having to make the last-minute switch, WVHS athletic director Mike Turner said, "He (Wright) got a better offer to step up into administration, so you can't blame him for bettering his situation.
"We hated to lose him, but were glad that Angela has agreed to step in. We introduced her to the girls and the parents a couple of night ago and they took to her right away.
"She's very charismatic and is a perfect fit for us," he added. "She had already been hired on staff as a Special Ed teacher and we feel like she'll do a great job for us."
Campbell, who is not related to veteran WV boys' basketball coach Will Campbell, becomes the eighth head coach in the school's 25-year history, as the Lady Mustangs have gone 464-274 overall, posting a 62.9 winning percentage.
Since legendary coach David Tucker left the program after a 253-54 record (82.4%) in the first nine seasons, including a pair of TSSAA State Tournament bids, the Walker Valley top girls' job has had a half dozen coaches the last 15 seasons.
Sausville posted a 20-38 overall mark in his two seasons with the girls, including going 14-14 this past winter.