McCallie hires new basketball coach David Conrady

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The McCallie Blue Tornadoes varsity basketball team will have a new leader at the helm for the 2018-19 season.

McCallie hired veteran coach David Conrady from Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, to replace former coach John Shulman.

Conrady is not new to Chattanooga. He served as the University of Tennessee Chattanooga’s associate head coach from 2004 to 2010, where he helped the Mocs to three Southern Conference division titles, two SoCon championships and made two appearances in the NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

Conrady will also serve as the middle school’s chaplain.

Read more about the newest Blue Tornado from McCallie’s press release below:

Veteran coach David Conrady will take over as the McCallie Blue Tornado varsity basketball coach for the 2018-2019 season, bringing an experienced leader and motivator to the Ridge to lead the Blue Tornado basketball program.

Conrady, who comes to McCallie from Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, replaces John Shulman, who left McCallie following the 2017-18 season. Conrady will also serve as a mentor and advisor to McCallie’s younger students as chaplain in the McCallie Middle School.

Coach Conrady is a man with high character and will continue the winning tradition. We are excited about the new era of McCallie Basketball. https://t.co/no0CBkp0w3

— McCallie Basketball (@McCalliehoops) April 23, 2018

“David is a proven leader on the basketball court, but just as importantly he is a good man of strong faith and character,” McCallie Headmaster Lee Burns ’87 said. “He will help our boys grow and mature in ways that will not only improve their athletic skills, but will also prepare them to lead in their lives and communities as men of honor.”

Conrady has been at Prestonwood Christian Academy since the start of the 2016-17 season, and before that was head coach at Chattanooga Christian — where he was 2016 District Coach of the Year. At Prestonwood, he guided the Lions to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 6A state championship in 2017, and was named the 2017 Private School Coach of the Year by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. He followed up that championship season
with a run to the TAPPS 6A Final Four in 2018.

“David has proven he knows how to win and is an encouraging teacher for his players and students, which made him an excellent choice to help continue the growth and success of our varsity program,” Assistant Headmaster Kenny Sholl said. “And his strong background in character and faith will enhance our school and our boys in ways far beyond success on the basketball court. He’s truly the complete package.”

In addition to his high school experience, Conrady brings a wealth of college coaching experience to McCallie, with nine years of head coaching experience at Newberry College and North Greenville University. He has also served as an assistant coach at Mars Hill College in North Carolina and at Presbyterian College in South Carolina, and he was associate head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga from 2004 to 2010.

At Newberry, he led his team to the first South Atlantic Conference Tournament finals appearance in school history, and took North Greenville to the semifinals of the NCCAA national tournament.

At UTC, Conrady served on Shulman’s staff for six years, and during that time the Mocs won three Southern Conference division titles, two Southern Conference championships and made two appearances in the NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

Conrady is a 1987 graduate of Furman University with a degree in Health and Physical Education. He was a three-year captain of the basketball team and played point guard, starting over 50 consecutive games. He helped the Paladins go 17-12 his senior season. He has international coaching experience, leading clinics in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Portugal and the Ukraine. He has coached with Athletes in Action on their South America Tour, winning the Tournament of Champions in Lima, Peru, and served as National Basketball
Director for SCORE International.

“David’s success at the various levels of coaching, as well as his desire to be a valuable member of the McCallie community and a mentor to young men, stood out among an impressive list of coaching candidates from across the nation,” said Jeff Romero, Dean of Athletics. “We feel he is the perfect fit for McCallie and the right person to lead the basketball program. I am excited to
begin working with him.”