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Pentecost leaves Mt. Pleasant girls after one season





Mt. Pleasant girls basketball coach Hayden Pentecost resigned Tuesday, less than a year after taking over the Lady Tigers program.CHRIS YOW / MAIN STREET MAURY

Mt. Pleasant girls basketball coach Hayden Pentecost resigned Tuesday, less than a year after taking over the Lady Tigers program.CHRIS YOW / MAIN STREET MAURY

Hayden Pentecost announced his resignation Tuesday as girls basketball coach at Mt. Pleasant, ending his one-year tenure after replacing Amy Odom and setting the program up for its sixth coach in seven seasons.

“My wife (Kendra) and I are expecting a baby in June, our first,” said Pentecost, who served as a girls basketball assistant at Summit prior to taking over the Lady Tigers last summer. “With our current schedule and lifestyle – her working in Nashville, me in Mt. Pleasant and living in Spring Hill, we decided that’d be difficult. We needed some help. Her family is in Cookeville, so we’re moving to Cookeville.

“My plan is to stay in education and continue to coach; hopefully something pans out. But I’m also looking at some things outside of education as well. We’ll see what opens up, but ultimately I’d like to continue to coach.”

In his only season at Mt. Pleasant, with the basketball program moving up from Class A to Class 2A, Pentecost guided the Lady Tigers to a 4-21 finish – a performance impacted by the loss of arguably his best player just minutes before the season opener.

 

 

Freshman guard Ashley Turner sustained a broken neck in a collision during a drill as the team warmed up for its Nov. 16 matchup with host Eagleville.

“I was pleased with how the season went,” he said. “The record shows we won four games, but they improved a lot. They were in position to play for third place in the district (10-2A) on Senior Night, and they’re only losing one (Baleigh Gray). They have a situation next year where they can win 10 games. I feel like I’m leaving it in a better situation than I came into.

“(Turner) would have started for us, probably an all-district kid. She’s fully cleared (medically) now and ready to go.”

This past season marked the fifth straight year in which Mt. Pleasant has fallen short of double-digit victories. Since Jessica Webb led the Lady Tigers to a 17-12 finish in 2016-17, the last of her three seasons at the helm, Mt. Pleasant has totaled 17 victories in five years – under four different coaches.

Upon his arrival, the 25-year-old Kansas native had all intention of bringing stability and success to the program.

“I think everybody understands why. I think the girls understand,” he said regarding his decision. “(But) I think there some frustration because when I took the job, I was planning to be that figure, to be here for a while. Now the carousel continues.

“Hopefully they can find somebody that can be there for the long run. That’s what they need. I want to thank (principal Ryan) Jackson and the administration for taking a chance and supporting me this year.”

Attempts to reach Jackson and athletics director Eric Hughes for comment were unsuccessful.

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