H.S. BASKETBALL: Stephenson named Gleason girls' basketball coach

One year was enough for Sean Stephenson.

After leaving the Westview girls' basketball program one year ago, Stephenson is back in West Tennessee as the girls' basketball coach at Gleason.

"I am familiar with the Weakley County schools," Stephenson said. "This will be my third school. I have left Weakley County twice and came right back the following year.

"We also have our second child due in September, and this an opportunity to coach a good program with tons of tradition."

The position became open when Joel Ayers took the head coaching job at Dyersburg.

Stephenson's first child will be entering kindergarten this fall, and with a second child on the way he wanted to be near family. His wife's family is from Weakley County.

During the past year, he has been the video coordinator with the Ole Miss women's basketball team.

"I really enjoyed my time down there, and I don't regret going," Stephenson said. "I have seen women's basketball at the highest level except for professional. I got to see a lot of cool things, like tearing down the goalposts after the Ole Miss-Alabama game.

"But family is most important, and there is no question that this move was best for my family."

Gleason has been a young team for the last couple of years with one senior and no juniors on last year's team.

"There will be no seniors this coming season, so I will have the same team the next two years," Stephenson said. "I also wanted the opportunity to coach middle school. I will get these girls in the fifth grade, so if they don't know what they are supposed to by high school, there is only one person to look at.

"Randy Frazier built Gleason up in the 90s and into the 2000s through the middle school, and David Russell did the same at Bradford and Jim Brown did it at Jackson County."

Stephenson spent nine years at Westview, and his coaching tenure included four state tournament berths in the final six years he was there. He also spent time as the girls' basketball coach at Dresden and Franklin prior to Westview.

Michael Odom, 425-9754