Kassie Scott has a good grasp of the task at hand.
And she couldn’t be more thrilled.
On Thursday, Scott was named new girls basketball coach at Cherokee Bluff High, replacing its only prior coach Lindsay Justice, who accepted a promotion Monday with the Hall County Schools District.
Always aspiring to become a head basketball coach, Scott could think of nowhere better than where she spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach for the Lady Bears, which finished with a program-best 15-11 mark in 2023.
“It’s good coming in to a situation where I know the players capabilities and they know my standards and expectations,” said Scott, who is originally from El Paso, Texas.
Scott is expected to bring back a good chunk of talent from its team that posted a winning mark this season, including rising seniors Kaitlin Cook and Carson DeMars, and sophomore guard Claire Carlson, who has emerged as a good shooter.
Cherokee Bluff athletics director Kenny Hill made the announcement public Thursday, adding that Scott ‘has a passion for their players and the school, and they’re excited to be on this journey together.”
When Scott met with players Thursday to let them know they news, they were all very excited, Hil said.
“Kassie knows our players and their work ethic and it will be an easy transition for them,” Hill said. “We’re ready to take the next step, whether that be the region championship, state playoffs or state title, so be it.”
Even though she’s from the southwestern US originally, Scott has been in Hall County for a number of years.
She’s been in Georgia since her husband, Nick Garrett, took the head football coaching position at Riverside Prep in 2016.
Scott played basketball at Western New Mexico University, then took a high school assistant-coaching position at a nearby high school in Silver City, New Mexico.
Then in 2014, she relocated to Bethel College, in Kansas, working as assistant women’s coach and head junior varsity coach.
Upon moving to Georgia, Scott worked three at the Georgia Mountains YMCA, in Gainesville, in a role as childcare director for after-school programs.
“I never thought I would end up in Georgia, but I love it here,” Scott said. “It’s a great place to have a family and raise kids.”