By Ron Bliss
TriCitiesSports.com
May 16, 2008

CHURCH HILL -- Veteran Lee High coach Jerry Myers is coming to Volunteer High School as only the third girls' coach in the school's 28 years of existence.

Myers was introduced Friday at a press conference in the Volunteer Little Theater. He replaces Dennis Anderson, who announced after the 2008 season that he was stepping down. The only other coach of girls' basketball in the school's history has been Dennis Bellamy, who was part of the committee that selected Myers.

Myers, who was a standout guard at Powell Valley High School under legendary coach Burrell Paye in the 1970s, played two years at Carson-Newman and finished at UVA-Wise and then returned to Powell Valley to coach JVs for one year before accepting a job at Pennington High School. He later because the Lee High boys and girls' coach. We was Coach of the Year in his district six times and his teams went to nine regional tournaments.

He stepped down in 1999 so he could coach daughter Carrie in AAU basketball. He prepared her and other so that 12 girls from his AAU program earned college scholarships.

Carrie, who was named an all-stater twice, signed with Valparaiso in Indiana and went on to set school and conference 3-point shooting records there from 2003 to 2007. She is now playing professionally in Belgium.

"I think my strength is teaching shooting,'' said Myers. "My teams have always shot the ball well.

"I hope to put a team out on the floor that I can be proud of. I have always said I would much rather have a team that didn't win but had kids I could be proud of than one that wins, but didn't have kids I could be proud of.''

Myers said he is a hard worker and will expect his players to also work hard.

"If you are going to be successful at anything, you have to work hard,'' said Myers. "I will work hard and I will expect my players to, also.''

Added Myers: "I understand the meaning of loyalty, I was in the same system in Lee County for 29 years and could have gone elsewhere and made more money, but I stayed. And you can expect loyalty from me here.''

Myers is retiring after 30 years teaching in Virginia.

Myers was selected from a pool of 10 applicants. The field was narrowed to five and they were granted interviews.

"It was a very difficult decision because we had some qualify applicants,'' said Whalen, who took part in the selection with principal Jim Dykes, former coach Bellamy and Penny Draine, a parent of one of the players.

Myers will finish the school year at Lee High, which runs another two weeks, and then begin his program at Volunteer. He met with the returning players after the press conference.

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