David Scott
Note: This story was last updated at 11:42 a.m.
Citing family reasons, David Scott has resigned as the Lady Wildcats basketball coach, according to Oak Ridge High School Athletic Director Mike Mullins.
Scott announced the decision to the team on Thursday morning, Mullins said. Scott also resigned once before for family reasons.
Scott’s son Daniel was diagnosed with autism at an early age, and Mullins said the parents of special needs children have a lot of needs that “other parents can’t imagine.” Scott and his wife Michelle also have a daughter, Elizabeth Grace.
Recognizing that the cause hit home with Scott, the ORHS basketball teams and their supporters worked to raise awareness of autism this past season, including when the Wildcat Pride Club promoted “Hoops for Autism.”
Scott is also a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Robertsville Middle School, where he teaches geography. He has taught there since 1989. Michelle Scott also teaches at RMS.
The Lady Wildcats were 19-12 this past season (2014-2015), and the young team, which had no seniors, made it to the Region 2-AAA quarterfinals, where they lost to Farragut 57-17.
The Lady Wildcats finished the 2013-2014 season with a 8-21 record, losing to Anderson County in the second round of the District 3-AAA girls’ basketball tournament.
Mullins said assistant coach Katie Saxe will run the program while a replacement for Scott is sought. Basketball team activities continue, including tryouts for the freshman team on Friday and camps this summer.
Oak Ridge Schools announced in July 2013 that Scott was returning as head coach of the basketball program after a two-year hiatus. He replaced Karra Jackson, who posted a 29-29 record in her two seasons at the helm before leaving to become the head coach at Ryle High School in Union, Kentucky.
Scott was elevated to head coach at Oak Ridge after serving four years as an assistant under ORHS legend Jill Prudden, who compiled a 908-161 overall record, which included winning three state championships and six state runners-ups. Prudden stepped down in 2010.
Scott led the Lady Wildcats to a 21-7 record and the regular season and district tournament championship in 2010-2011, and he was named 2010-2011 District 3-AAA Coach of the Year before resigning after one season due to family responsibilities.
Scott was an All-Conference and All-Region performer (1985-87) at Tennessee Wesleyan College. He led the team in assists and scoring (18 points per game) in 1987 and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
He arrived at Wesleyan after transferring from Hiwassee College (1983-85), where he led his team to a junior college national tournament appearance. He was team leader in assists as a junior and in scoring (19 points per game) as a senior.
A native Oak Ridger, Scott was an outstanding prep player for the Wildcats (1981-83) where he garnered team MVP, All-District, All-Region, and Honorable Mention All-State honors.
Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1988. He added a master’s degree in educational administration from Lincoln Memorial University in 1998.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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