Ooltewah High girls basketball hires former Cleveland High assistant James Baird as team’s new head coach
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (BVM) — The Ooltewah High School girls basketball team got a shot in the arm earlier this month when the team announced the hiring of new head coach James Baird. Baird, a top assistant for nearby District 5 foe Cleveland High School, helped lead the Lady Raiders to a 13-9 overall record and an 8-2 record in the district en route to a Region 3 tournament appearance.
“The Ooltewah Administration is very excited about Coach Baird joining the OHS family as he starts to lead our Women’s Basketball program,” the school said in a press release. “He brings a great deal of experience coaching women’s basketball locally and will be a great asset to the school overall.”
Welcome to the family @CoachBairdOHS! Excited to have you on #Exit11 https://t.co/kW5zkz1DGQ
— Ooltewah High School (@Ooltewah_Live) June 17, 2021
Baird was the first to share the news of his hiring on his social media June 9. In his post, Baird said he “can’t wait to get to work.”
I’m beyond excited to announce I have been named head coach of the Ooltewah Lady Owls’ basketball program. I can’t wait to get to work.
— James Baird (@CoachBaird18) June 10, 2021
The new head coach will have a lot of work ahead of him, however. The Owls were unsuccessful in recording a win last season according to their MaxPreps profile. Though the team was unable to get in the win column last season, they will bring back Class of 2023 member Mackenzie Bernier who was named to the All District 5-AAA Tournament team after averaging 11 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 blocks during the tournament.
Congratulations Mackenzie Bernier on being named to the 2021 All District 5-AAA Tournament Team! #FlyOwlsFly #RedKingdom pic.twitter.com/21DZQ23eac
— Ooltewah Lady Owls Basketball (@OHS_LadyOwls) February 26, 2021
With Baird now on board for the Lady Owls, fans will see if he can bring similar success he had in Cleveland to Ooltewah. One thing is clear, getting the Lady Owls back in the win column would be seen as a big victory for the new head coach.
