Coaching changes continue at Russellville High School. A day after a new head boys basketball coach was announced and a week after a new volleyball head coach was named, RHS has a new head girls basketball coach joined them.
Principal Drew Teel said, “Russellville High School is thrilled to announce the hiring of Jermaine Savage as the new Head Girls Basketball Coach. Coach Savage brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and desire to build a winning culture at RHS. He excels at player development and has put close to 20 student athletes in college to play basketball. He understands the importance of academics and will push our student athletes to be the best they can be on the floor and in the classroom."
Coach Savage said.” "As the new coach of Russellville High School Girls Basketball, I am excited to announce my arrival and eager to build a winning program with your support. Let's work together to achieve great things on and off the court!"
Jermaine Savage was a star basketball player at Franklin-Simpson High School and Austin Peay State University. He was an important part of Coach Frank Cardwell’s 1992 Wildcat team which beat Coach Phil Todd’s Russellville Panthers in the regional finals.
Then he and Russellville stars Bubba Wells and Otis Key became teammates at APSU. Wells and Savage are members of the Governors’ Hall of Fame.
This is what the APSU Media Guide has to say about Jermaine Savage’s college career:
“Jermaine Savage could be the most underrated player during the Dave Loos era of Austin Peay basketball.
“Despite scoring 1,345 career points and grabbing more than 525 rebounds, the 6-foot-4 Savage was content to play in the shadow of his much heralded teammate and good friend, Bubba Wells (of Russelville). They combined to give APSU the best forward combination in the OVC during the mid-1990s.
“Tremendously resilient and competitive, the Franklin, Ky., native missed just one practice during his entire four-season career. Just as importantly, Savage never took off a practice. The lithe 175-pounder, appropriately nicknamed “Coop” after the Los Angeles Lakers’ Michael Cooper, became a Governors strength.
“In fact, Savage had to overcome a disappointing start to his Governors career. Savage struggled as a freshman, averaging only 2.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, shooting only 30.3 percent from the floor.
“As a sophomore, he came back as a different player. After attempting to play guard as a freshman, he slipped down to the forward spot and found his home. In fact, he started all 27 games and earned honorable mention All-OVC after averaging 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, both ranking second on the team. He scored double figures 20 times, including a 29-point outing against Southern Illinois.
“He came back as a junior to average 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, again both figures ranking second on the team.
“However, he saved the best for his senior season, a year that saw the Governors capture the OVC tourney title and advance to the 1996 NCAA tournament.
“He averaged a career-best 17.5 points per game, second to Wells. That included more than 40 three pointers, including one from midcourt at the buzzer that beat Eastern Kentucky in his career-high, 34-point performance. He was a 76 percent free-throw shooter.
“But that was only half of the Savage persona. He well may be the best defensive player in Dave Loos' 17 seasons as Governors head coach. During the 1995-96 season, Savage literally became the “Silent Assassin.” On 16 different occasions that season, Savage held the man he was guarding to well below his respective scoring average or forced that player to take an inordinate amount of shots to reach that average.
“Never was it more evident than in the 1996 OVC tournament. During the Govs’ run to the OVC tourney title, Savage locked down his opposite: former prep teammate and second-team All-OVC choice DeMarkus Doss was held to five points in the first round; first-team All-OVC choice and top 25 NCAA scorer Monty Wilson was held to 15 points in the second round and Marcus Brown, one of the nation's top three scorers, was held to 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting in the title game. In fact, in the last two meetings between Savage and Brown, the OVC Player of the Year, the Governors defender held him to 13-of-38 shooting.
‘Savage concluded his career with 20 points and six rebounds against Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament.”
Jermaine Savage was inducted into the APSU Governors Hall of Fame in 2007.
He had a completely different stellar career as a Kentucky State Trooper, retiring from that role in 2018. After that he worked as a Simpson County deputy sheriff. Most of the time, he has also been involved in basketball as a coach, parent or both at the same time.
His children, daughters Alexis and Jasmine and son Jared, have enjoyed success in basketball.
The oldest, Alexis, played varsity ball for four years and was part of two of Coach Lex Lindsey’s regional championship teams at Franklin-Simpson. Her freshman year, the Lady Cats went to the state finals, losing by a single point.
After a great career at Warren Central High School where he was named one of Kentucky’s top players as a senior, son Jared followed his in his dad’s footsteps both as an Austin Peay player but also as a starter for the Governors in the NCAA Tournament. As a freshman in 2017, he scored 24 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the OVC championship game.
Jared later transferred to Western Kentucky University and became a member of the Hilltoppers. He played professional basketball in the San Diego Clippers’ organization.
Then came daughter Jasmine, who is currently a senior at Franklin-Simpson. She has been the designated three-point shooter for the Lady Cats for four years, hitting 163 of them in her career.
The last two years have been remarkable for the Lady Cats. They went 30-2 Jasmine’s junior year and 28-3 this season. They won the regional championship, and—like her sister—Jamine got to play in a state tournament. That totals 58-5 over the last two years
It’s no coincidence that Jermaine Savage, who already lives in Russellville, has been helping Coach Ashley Taylor has an FSHS assistant coach. During the five years he’s been on the bench, the Lady Cats have a combined record of 113-27.
Of course, one of the main reasons they have been so successful is that LaReesha Cawthorn, who had been part of a good run for the Russellville Lady Panthers for a few years, and her family decided that she should transfer to Franklin-Simpson her final two seasons. While the Lady Cats have been winning those 58 games, Cawthorn—the region’s best player—has scored 1,192 points and grabbed 638 rebounds. A finalist for Miss Kentucky Basketball, she is moving on to NCAA Division I basketball.
Meanwhile, one of the best eras in Lady Panther basketball came to an end two years ago when A’miyah Collier, Jaylah Kees, Brinley Mason and Jordin Morris graduated followed by numerous injuries to Ja’eda Poindexter and the exit of Cawthorn.
Coach Orlando Hayden, whose first Lady Panther team went 16-15, has seen his final two RHS teams go 3-52 his last two seasons.
Even though Coach Savage is inheriting a team that has been struggling, he will have a flock of young players who gained a lot of experience this year. Eleven of the 14 players on the RHS roster were freshmen or younger.
Jermaine Savage has spent a lifetime involved in winning basketball with a career in law enforcement that emphasizes discipline. He could very well be just what these young Lady Panthers need to forge a legacy of their own.