Stacy Pendleton, who led the Manual High School girls basketball team to a state title in 2012 and stepped away from coaching a year later, is back in the business.
The Brown School announced Thursday that Pendleton has been named its girls basketball coach. Pendleton replaces Erin Spalding, who last week took over as the school’s boys basketball coach.
Pendleton took a teaching job at Brown during the 2015-16 school year and said the fact that his daughters will be elementary-school students at Brown was a big factor in deciding to return to coaching.
“When I was coaching at Manual, there were two or three nights a week where I’d just be able to kiss my daughters on the forehead while they were sleeping,” Pendleton said. “Now they can walk down to the gym after school while I’m practicing. As a coach, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Pendleton posted a 232-57 record in nine seasons (2004-13) as Manual’s coach and won regional titles in 2008, 2011 and 2012. The Crimsons lost to Rockcastle County in the 2011 state final before beating Marion County for the 2012 championship.
Pendleton spent two seasons away from coaching before serving as an assistant with the Manual boys program last season.
“I just hit a wall after the 2013 season,” Pendleton said. “It was good to get back in there last year and see if I still have it, and I do.”
After leading one of the state’s top programs at Manual, Pendleton knows expectations will be different at Brown. The Bears finished 9-17 last season and haven’t posted a winning record since going 14-11 during the 2003-04 campaign.
“I’m very competitive and driven, and I know winning a KHSAA state championship is not in Brown’s near future,” Pendleton said. “But there are other things we can do. The All “A” state tournament starts January 25, and getting ready for that starts now. …
“There are going to be some thumpings and a learning curve, but these young ladies are awesome. They’re like sponges and always ready to learn.”