Hickman County High School has hired a new boys head basketball coach to replace former coach Jared Street.

Former Cheatham County boys head coach Chris Dawson will look to bring the same level of success he had at Cheatham County to Hickman County as he takes over the boys basketball program.

Chris Dawson

Dawson coached Cheatham County from 2008-2013 and was named the District 9-AA coach of the year in 2012 and 2013 and led the Cubs to a 27-4 record his last year there.

“We went from being pretty bad to being pretty good,” Dawson said. “It was a great ride.”

Dawson is returning to basketball after taking the past two years off from coaching and teaching to work in business and manage a restaurant.

“Once I was away from it I realized how big a part of my life it had become and how much I missed it,” Dawson said. “I just needed that challenge again and this just seemed like a great opportunity. It felt a lot like when I stated at Cheatham County. Like I was home again.”

Dawson isn’t as excited about the possibility of another big winning season as he is the opportunity to get back in the gym with the kids.

“Those relationships with the kids are the one thing I’ve missed more than anything,” Dawson said. “It’s not the game nights or the wins or the championships. It’s the day to day interaction with kids and trying to be a positive influence on them.”

Reach Sam Brown at 615-259-8232 and on Twitter @SamBrownTN.