One of the area’s premier basketball programs will have a new head coach next season.
Sources confirmed to CarterCountySports.com that Len Dugger has resigned his coaching duties of the Elizabethton girls’ basketball program.
The announcement ends Dugger’s impressive run at the helm of the Lady Cyclones – which included a Class AA State Championship in 2014 and four consecutive state tournament appearances.
Dugger spent 25 seasons at Elizabethton counting his time as head coach of both the girls and boys head coach.
The change comes just over a month after the TSSAA placed the program on probation after a violation of Article II, Section 17 – otherwise known as the recruiting rule – of the TSSAA bylaws.
The violation occurred when a younger player’s grandmother approached an assistant coach regarding a potential move into the school system. The player, who attended another school, was invited by the assistant to come and shoot at a workout along with the freshman team.
Athletic administrators discovered the violation and removed the student-athlete from the floor, and coaches later said they weren’t aware of the violation.
While this year’s team was not affected by the sanctions, a reduction in spring practice time and preseason jamboree and Hall of Champion games next season were among the biggest sanctions handed down. The Lady Cyclones will be allowed to participate in the postseason.
The search for the replacement is expected to begin immediately.
