Former Vanderbilt player Howard Pride named next Stewarts Creek boys basketball coach

Stewarts Creek has gone out of state to find its next boys basketball coach.

The Rutherford County school named Howard Pride, who most recently coached in Huntsville, Alabama, as its next coach, replacing Dawn Barger.

Pride played at Vanderbilt and was a team captain in 1997. He was named to the SEC All-Academic team as a senior. Pride averaged 4.5 points at Vanderbilt. 

"He is a tremendous guy and was an incredible teammate," said CPA boys basketball coach Drew Maddux, who played with Pride at Vanderbilt. "He was a year older than me. He made a big investment in my life, particularly early in my career. He helped shepherd me."

He has also been an assistant at Belmont and Tennessee State.

Pride has coached at Jemison the past two seasons, going 45-12. He has been a head coach at four schools in Alabama. His Decatur team finished Class 6A runner-up in 2001.

Pride has a 158-61 record.

Pride was Alabama's Mr. Basketball in 1993 while playing at Butler in Huntsville. He was a three-sport athlete, playing baseball and football as well. He was inducted into the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Pride also coached at Westminster Christian (2005-06) and Alma Bryant (2013-14) in Alabama. He was an assistant at Warren County (2011-13), Butler (2009-11) and Montgomery Bell Academy (2006-07). Pride was director of operations at Alabama and UAB and as an assistant at Howard.

“After an extensive search, I could not be happier to welcome Coach Pride and his family to the Red Hawk community," Stewarts Creek principal Clark Harrell said.

Stewarts Creek finished 10-18 this past season and 3-11 in District 7-AAA. Pride will be the school's fourth coach as the program begins its eighth season.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.