Lindy King named first Rockvale girls basketball coach

Cecil Joyce
Murfreesboro Daily News Journal

Rockvale didn't have to look far to find its first head girls basketball coach.

Lindy King, who coached at Stewarts Creek the past four seasons, will start the Lady Rockets program.

"I am excited to work with Mr. (Steve) Luker (Rockvale principal), his administrative team, and the future Rockvale High School community," said King. "In addition to that, I'm eager to help build a new athletic program, meet our new players and build an amazing team that will strive for excellence on and off the court."

King was 90-32 in four seasons at Stewarts Creek, leading the Lady Red Hawks to the 2016 Class AAA sectional and the 2017 Class AAA state tournament.

Prior to that she led Martin Luther King Magnet to back-to-back state tournament appearances, including a Class AA state championship in 2015.

"She coached in metro (Nashville) for years and was successful there," said Luker. "She won a state championship there and then created a winning tradition at Stewarts Creek. She's a good basketball coach, teacher and person."

The hire leaves a void at Stewarts Creek, which went 20-11 this past season and lost in the region quarterfinals.

"I want to thank the administration, staff, students and parents at Stewarts Creek for giving me the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of students and athletes the past four years," King said. "Since Day 1 the community has embraced me and my family and I've grown as a person, educator and coach during my time here.

"I would also like to thank Dr. (Clark) Harrell (SCHS principal) for his guidance and support through this process."

Stewarts Creek girls coach Lindy King instructs her squad during Friday's game at Riverdale.

Stewarts Creek graduates leading scorer Lauren Flowers but will return four starters and several top reserves.

As for Rockvale, King is the fourth major hire thus far. The school has hired football, baseball and softball coaches already.

"There were a lot of good candidates for this job," said Luker, of the girls basketball position. "We interviewed a lot of different candidates for this job, some with head coaching experience, some without. We were really looking for someone with head coaching experience, with the difficulty and starting program from nothing."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.