Stewarts Creek hires Dawn Barger as area's first female boys head basketball coach
Cecil JoyceIt didn't take long for Stewarts Creek High School to find a new boys basketball coach.
And the Red Hawks got one with a strong pedigree, and a rare distinction.
Just two weeks after Kris Hooper stepped down the school has named Dawn Barger to take over the squad.
Barger is a 14-year veteran as both a girls and boys coach. At Lake County she led the boys program to the state tournament three times, including the Class A state championship in 2011.
She was the first and only female coach to accomplish that feat with a boys program.
Barger, who is the third boys coach at SCHS in five years, is also the first female to lead a high school boys squad in Rutherford County.
“I am excited that Coach Barger, who is highly regarded as a coach and educator throughout Rutherford County and the state, will lead our boys basketball program,” said Dr. Clark Harrell, SCHS principal.
Barger's Lake County squad reached the state semifinals in 2011-12 and reached the state championship game in 2012-13.
She was an assistant girls coach at Stewarts Creek under Jessica Jackson when the school opened. She was most recently a girls basketball assistant under Jackson at Blackman.
Barger's husband, David Barger, is a Stewarts Creek assistant football coach.
In a letter to Stewarts Creek athletic director Jenni Smith, Barger said, “I would like to thank Dr. Clark Harrell for providing me the opportunity to build a program for which the school and community can be proud.”
Hooper resigned May 11 after three seasons with the Red Hawks. The team reached the Region 4-AAA semifinals this past season.
Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.