Smyrna alumnae Shelby Moore takes over girls basketball program

Smyrna is bringing back one of its own to lead the girls basketball program.

Former Lady Bulldog Shelby Moore on Thursday was named the new girls basketball coach.

"This is something I never really saw coming," said Moore, a 2009 Smyrna graduate. "It just popped up and is an experience I couldn't pass up. I'm excited about the opportunity to go back and hopefully get it back to the glory days when I was there."

Moore was on the last Lady Bulldogs team to reach the state tournament in 2008. Her team reached the Class AAA sectional her senior season.

She was most recently the girls basketball coach at West Wilson Middle and previously was an assistant at both Siegel Middle and Rock Springs Middle.

Smyrna Principal Sherri Southerland said bringing in a coach with Smyrna ties was a factor in the decision.

"She knows what it was like when Smyrna's girls basketball program was great," Southerland said. "She understands what it takes to get back there. To do that, it needed to be somebody who understands the history of the program."

Smyrna has had success as recently as three seasons ago, but the past two years were lean. The Lady Bulldogs went winless in District 7-AAA in each of the past two years, tallying just one win total. They won 17 games in 2016-17.

Moore will be the team's third head coach in three years. 

She replaces Jordyn Hartsfield, who spent a year in the role before resigning earlier this year to take an assistant position at Blackman.

"She has that passion and still lives in Smyrna," Southerland said. "She's eager and ready to take the sport that was so close to her when she was in high school and get it back to the place where it needs to be."

Moore is excited about the challenge of turning the program around. 

"It's going to take lots of hard work, of course," she said. "Hopefully we will bring back some of the tradition back to the girls and let them see that I've been through the same program they've been. Hopefully bringing a winning mentality to them."

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