By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–While one Union City High School basketball program will be getting a new coach, the other will be welcoming back an old one.
Antawn Coby has stepped down from the Lady Tornado top post after three seasons to rejoin the UC boys as an assistant, where he previously served six years as an aide.
Coby compiled a 38-43 record in three seasons with the Twister girls, winning one regional tournament game in three appearances. Union City was 9-21 in the just-completed 2022-23 campaign.
UCHS Principal and Athletic Director Jacob Cross said the search to replace Coby would begin immediately, with assistant coaches Mason Storey and Nelson Youngblood serving in interim roles until a permanent head coach is decided upon.
“Coach Coby and I have met and discussed where he can make the biggest impact within our programs. Together we determined that his talents could best be utilized on the boys’ side next season,” Cross stated.”
“Coach Coby is going to work tirelessly and give the players everything he has no matter which team he is coaching. He is a high-energy type of coach and a true competitor.”
Cross said he hoped to have a new coach in place in time for offseason workouts.
“We are already evaluating the next step for our girls’ program and plan to have a new coach named as soon as possible. Coach Coby and his assistant coaches have laid the groundwork for our Lady Tornadoes, and I’m looking for their future coach to take them to the next level,” Cross added.
A 2005 Union City High School graduate and 2010 Hall of Honors inductee, Coby was tabbed from a list of three in-house candidates in July 2020 to lead the Lady Tornadoes.
It was his first experience as a head coach on the high school level after six years as an assistant with the UC boys and head coach Shane Sisco. Before that he spent three seasons as head coach of the middle school boys’ program.
“It was a great learning experience for me to run a program on the high school level for the first time,” Coby said. “Just the day-to-day operations that go unnoticed, I felt like I grew and learned to manage a lot of things that have nothing to do with the normal Tuesday-Friday game nights. I do believe that will benefit me in the future.
“The opportunity to rejoin the boys’ program will be great in terms of the amount of responsibility I will have. Coach Sisco trusts me with a number of things, and I think I’ll be even better in this role for having been the head coach of the Lady Tornadoes the last three years.”
The Union City girls will return three starters from this past year’s team but must replace the program’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer, Amari Bonds, who will play collegiately at UT Martin.