By John Balch
Nashville News-Leader
The South Pike County School Board met in a brief special session Monday night to hire a new boys’ basketball coach.
The board approved the hiring of Caleb Spradlin, who is currently the junior high boys’ basketball coach and assistant football coach at Warren. He is also a “long-term sub” for eighth grade science with the Warren School District. Spradlin also has six years of experience coaching Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball and said he has coached more than 200 games.
Spradlin was recommended for the position by incoming athletic director, Marc McRae, and high school principal, Kathaleen Cole, who conducted the interviews for the position. Superintendent Roger Featherston told board members there were “not a lot” of applicants for the job. A list of applicants was requested by this newspaper but the list was not immediately made available.
Spradlin will replace Murfreesboro’s current Rattler basketball coach, Andrew Henderson, who asked earlier this year to be reassigned for the upcoming school year as head track coach, according to Featherston.
In addition to basketball duties, Spradlin will also be an assistant football coach and is expected to teach eighth grade science after he passes a needed certification test.
Spradlin, 27, attended Nashville High School until his senior year when he transferred to Blevins High School and graduated in 2008. Spradlin and his wife, Sarah, have a two-year-old daughter, Kynsler, and are expecting another child at the end of June.
He is the son of James and Rhonda Spradlin, now of Mena. James Spradlin is the former pastor of County Line Baptist Church and now pastors at a Mena church.