Every day that goes by, I feel better and better about being here and the opportunity that I have in front of me”

Hunter Ferrell

UNIONVILLE, Tenn. – New Community Vikings’ Head Basketball Coach, Hunter Ferrell, spoke to players, family members, and community members for the first time on Monday night since he was hired in early April.

Ferrell, set to replace former head coach of 13 years, Robbie Davis, has had Community on his mind ever since his first year of coaching as a volunteer assistant at MTCS.

“We played against Community in Unionville the year before they went to substate [2018-19], so they were really good and the environment and support was incredible,” said Ferrell. “I was like, man, this is a really cool spot to be, they really care about their basketball, they’re good at basketball, and there seems to be some tradition here, so it really intrigued me.”

After one year at MTCS, Ferrell moved back to his alma mater, Smyrna High School, where he played basketball in high school. For three years, he was an assistant coach for the Bulldogs before moving on to Centennial, where he has been for the past three seasons. Ferrell says his time at Centennial along with his experience at Smyrna have prepared him for the intense ‘Battle of Bedford’ rivalry with Cascade as well.

 “The rivalry was sold to me pretty early on as soon as I mentioned that I was interested in the job,” Ferrell explained. “It’s going to be an interesting dynamic when Cascade and Community play because it’s going to be first-year head coaches for the first time in a while. It’s two communities that are very close in location, and sometimes there is a little crossover there so I’m super excited about it. I grew up where Smyrna and La Vergne were big rivals and everybody in the county knew that, and I’m coming from a county where Centennial and Franklin were big rivals and there were thousands of people in the stands. It just adds to the care factor of it. For all the hard work these kids are getting into, they deserve to play in front of people that care about their games.”

Last season, Ferrell helped lead Centennial to the state-sectional round, falling on the road against the eventual Class-AAAA State Champion, Hillsboro, after the Cougars upset heavy favorite and cross-county district rival, Franklin, on the road in the Region 5-AAAA Semifinal. He is confident that Community has an opportunity to reach and even exceed the high heights reached at the spawn of the 2020s despite the recent dip in success that culminated in a disappointing 14-17 campaign last season.

“Here’s a place that has tradition, has had success recently – it’s not like it was decades ago, it was this decade – and they all care about it, from parents to grandparents to the students that go here,” he said. “There is a deep pride in this basketball program, and I just thought it was a good fit for me because I’m kind of unknown, they’re kind of getting a fresh start, and there’s already success and tradition you can build on.”

How will Ferrell’s teams go about striving for those goals? Rebounding, defensive tenacity, and a level of toughness that stands out to everyone that watches Community play basketball.

“We are going to be about a lot of things that we can control, which is giving a really good effort defensively, being mentally and physically tough, and rebounding the heck out of the basketball whether you’re 5 '5 or 6' 5. I want people to watch Community basketball and see, I know they’re going to be tough, I know they’re going to get after it defensively, and I know they’re going to rebound the heck out of the basketball,” he said.

Perhaps more important than results on the court, however, are the results off the court, such as how his players are growing as people in life. Basketball lessons aren’t just basketball lessons, they are life lessons as well, such as being ultra-competitive from start to finish and focusing on controlling what you can control to succeed.

“I’m really excited to get to know the guys. I’m leaving behind a group of guys that I’m really close with, and I’ve always really enjoyed getting to know the players and being a small part of their high school experience,” Ferrell concluded. “The things I’m going to tell them are: can we be coachable, are we going to be competitive no matter how much time is left or what the score says, and are we doing everything to the best of our ability like having a great attitude and being great teammates?”

Ferrell went on to explain in the meeting with the parents, players, and community members that he has his own acronym of “GLG” that he goes by: Grit, love, and gratitude.

He closed with an acknowledgement of the tough district facing Community, Cascade, and Chapel Hill this coming season. Reigning Class-AA State Champions, Loretto, and Summertown are joining those three in a revamped district starting next season, but Ferrell is excited about the challenge. 

“To be the best you have to beat the best, and you’re going to have to play those kinds of teams and games at some point in the season, why not early on? We [Centennial] were able to beat Franklin in the Region Tournament because we were able to adjust things that did or did not work from our earlier meetings,” he explained. 

Throughout, Ferrell maintained his calm but excited demeanor, ready and looking forward to taking on the challenge of his first head coaching job headfirst with tenacity and gratitude each day. 

“Every day that goes by, I feel better and better about being here and the opportunity that I have in front of me.”