A little over a week after longtime Lady Tiger basketball coach Danny Fish announced his departure from the DCHS sports programs, school officials have announced his replacement. The new head coach will be the fourth female head basketball coach in the history of the Lady Tigers behind Helen Lee, Holly White, and Amy Tobitt.

On Friday, June 10, DCHS Principal Bruce Curtis announced that 25-year-old Brandy Alley will take over head coaching duties.

“I have known Coach Alley for probably four or five years,” Principal Curtis said. “She came to White County when my daughter was there and worked with my daughter quite a bit. Then, she moved on the Cumberland County, so she’s been in the same district, same area, for a while.”

Originally born in Crossville, Alley’s family moved to Murfreesboro, where she graduated from Riverdale High School. She moved back to Crossville/White County area about four years ago, after taking on assistant coaching positions. She was an assistant basketball coach in White County, Cumberland County, and for two years at Stone Memorial, as well as serving as the head volleyball coach at CCHS.

“She worked as an assistant coach at Cumberland County for a year, then for two years at Stone Memorial under Coach Mike Buck,” Curtis explained. “In my opinion they are two of the best coaches in the area. I felt like she gained a lot of knowledge from them.”

After graduating from Riverdale High School, Alley went on to play college basketball at Faulkner University, in Montgomery, Al, where she finished her master’s in biology. She then got her master’s at Tennessee Tech in Education Curriculum Instruction.

“I was definitely looking to further my career and I’m very excited about being a head coach,” Alley said. “DeKalb County is actually where my great uncle, Bobby Hale, who once served as the DCHS Tigers football coach, started his head coaching career. I’ve always kept up with the girls that are in our district, watched them play and loved them, and as soon as I was presented with this opportunity I jumped on it.”

Alley said she looks for big things out of a team with great potential. She said she wants to take what has already been built and push it forward. “The biggest thing I want to focus on with this program is taking the great foundation they have and keep pushing it further,” Alley explained. “One thing that has stood out to me in the potential this group has, and how good they can be. Just taking each day as an opportunity to grow and develop and remind the girls that there is more than just this game. I want to use this game as a tool to teach them how to be better people in the world.”

“I’ve spent the last three years as part of this district, so I know it’s going to be a lot of work,” Coach Alley continued. “From what I know about these girls already, they’re going to be willing to do it. They’re very competitive girls and they have the potential to do some great things in this district and cause a stir. I really want to turn potential into actions.”

Alley said she is single and is currently trying to find a new home in the area. She said she looks forward to living in DeKalb with her parents living in White County.

At DCHS, Alley will serve as a teacher in English as a Second Language, until a biology and physical science teaching position becomes available.