DUANE SHERRILLEditor

The Tullahoma Lady Wildcats are losing one of their assistant basketball coaches as Joshua Bugg has accepted the head coach position for one of the state’s most storied programs – the Riverdale Lady Warriors in Murfreesboro.

Bugg, who already resides in Rutherford County, accepted the offer earlier this week and will replace Keri O’Neal who resigned last month after two years at the helm of the Lady Warriors. Bugg, 32, has served as an assistant to Tullahoma Head Basketball Coach Chad Hibdon this past season as the Lady Wildcats made it to the second round of the region finals before being eliminated by eventual state semi-finalist Upperman. Bugg was also an assistant in Hillsboro from 2021-22 and was coach in Columbia from 2017-21.

Bugg took over a Columbia team in 2017 that had won only four games during previous two seasons combined. While going 15-60 in his first three seasons, he went 18-12 during the 2020-21 season, reaching the region tournament before losing to eventual state champion Blackman.

He will be expected to turnaround a Lady Warrior program that has been going in the wrong direction in the past few years – going from perennial powerhouse to winning just 10 games in the past two seasons combined. The Lady Warriors won seven state titles during an 11-year period between 2007 and 2018. They also made it to the semi-finals in 2019 before dropping from the top tier in state women’s basketball. Bugg was an assistant coach during the heyday of Lady Warrior basketball.

While lamenting the loss of his assistant, Tullahoma Coach Chad Hibdon wishes Coach Bugg all the best in his new endeavor.

“Coach Bugg was a tremendous asset to our program getting started and laying the foundation of our stands and program pillars,” Hibdon said. “His passion and desire to help our players grow and improve on and off the court were vital parts of our team’s success. We are sad to see him go but very excited for this opportunity in his coaching career.”

The coach said work is already underway to find a successor as the Lady Wildcats look to make another run in the playoffs next year despite losing five seniors to graduation.

“We have already been interviewing and have several great candidates interested in being a part of this THS family and will continue the growth of Lady ‘Cats basketball,” the coach said.