Coach Chad Hibdon, head coach of the Lady Cats at Tullahoma High School, has built championship-level programs throughout his career. Hibdon’s record as a coach is impressive, but his character is even greater than his biggest wins.
Hibdon grew up in Lascassas, where he attended Oakland High School for three years before transferring to Riverdale for his senior year. He went on to play college basketball, and after his playing career ended, he moved into an assistant coaching position for his former high school’s program — the Riverdale boys freshman basketball team.
After earning his degree in health and wellness education, he landed his first teaching and coaching job at Smyrna Middle School, where he coached boys and girls basketball as well as baseball for four years. He coached at Rock Springs Middle School for a year and at Siegel High School as the associate head coach for two years, during which he led the boys team to the state Final Four. Middle Tennessee’s reputation as a hub for elite girls basketball drew Hibdon toward building a program in that area of sports.
“The lure of being challenged to develop a program in the best girls basketball area in the country was aligned well with my goals,” Hibdon said. “My wife, Lea, describes me as a builder, and I believe she is correct based on where God has placed me in my coaching career.”
Hibdon credits his own mentors and coaches who shaped his career and taught him important skills and lessons along the way. His high school coaches taught him toughness, defense, basketball strategy, and reasoning. One in particular had a significant impact on his character development.
“Coach Jones at Riverdale taught me how to be a great person, great teammate, and to be a leader,” Hibdon said.
Ricky Field, a legendary multisport coach at Riverdale, coached Hibdon in youth sports and became the most influential voice in his early coaching career.
“He was like a second father to me for many years,” Hibdon said.
Hibdon also spent considerable time studying coaches Dean Smith and John Wooden and said he models much of his approach to culture-building on their principles.
His years at Blackman High School put him on the map as one of the best girls basketball coaches in the country. From 2006–15, he compiled an outstanding 199- 98 record with Blackman. His 2014 team was named national champion by USA Today, MaxPreps, and ESPN, and he received both the USA Today National Coach of the Year and the Naismith All-USA National Girls Basketball Coach of the Year awards.
In 2015, he led Blackman’s Lady Blaze team to back-to-back state titles, winning in double overtime against Oakland.
“After we won, we were celebrating with our families and fans, and those former players proudly used the words, ‘We did it, Coach.’ That meant so much to me,” Hibdon said.
He coaches his teams to work hard and stay consistent with their training, and he models that through his own life as an example to them.
“Consistency starts with commitment, and the head coach has to lead with consistency,” Hibdon said.
“We were beaten a few times late in that 2015 game, and during a few timeouts I reminded them that we were built for this because of our daily habits and commitment,” he said.
Hibdon’s career shifted to college coaching after a conversation with Liberty University Head Coach Carey Green led to an offer from Truett-McConnell University in North Georgia.
“We honestly didn’t think there was any chance we would take the job, but thought it would be a great weekend getaway in the mountains,” Hibdon said.
He and his wife, Lea, left in tears, both sensing a clear call to go. From there, he coached at Trevecca Nazarene University before the desire to go back to high school coaching brought him to Tullahoma. Hibdon said he wanted to be more present for his children, Eli and Lydia, and a friend had recommended Tullahoma to their family. The Hibdons recognized that this was a great place to settle with a family, and were happy with the schools in the area.
“This was a family decision, as coaching college basketball was taking me away from being at home consistently while our children were growing so fast,” Hibdon said. “It has been a joy and blessing for our family to become part of the Tullahoma community.”
Hibdon has spent the past four years coaching the Tullahoma High School Lady Cats, which he says has been an awesome journey so far. In the 2025-26 season, Hibdon led the Lady Cats to their first state tournament appearance in 49 years, competing in the Class 3A tournament at Middle Tennessee State University and finishing the season ranked fifth in the state. He credits the support of Dr. Stephens, Coach Olive, and the Tullahoma High School administration, as well as assistant coaches Amy, Rob, and TT. Hibdon’s basketball program runs on four pillars: Give, Grow, Love, Win. He said the last one — winning — is simply a byproduct of the first three.
“Most of the stories I tell from the past are from the players who were not the ‘superstars’ on the team — they were the players that understood their role, worked really hard, and made major impacts on the culture and court,” Hibdon said. GN
