One of Nashville’s leading sports media figures thinks a Russellville native is a prime candidate to be the next head men’s basketball coach at Tennessee State University. George Plaster of 104.5 The 
Zone has talked several times about Bubba Wells being a good choice for the Tigers’ opening.
After graduating from RHS in 1992, Bubba was one of the top scorers in the nation while playing for Austin Peay State University. In fact, he was the top point producer in college basketball his senior year but was not officially the scoring champ. He had played too few games as a result of a second surgery to put a metal rod in a broken shin.
Wells was the number two draft pick of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks in 1997 and spent a year there. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns and then the Chicago Bulls before being cut. He played in some other professional leagues before joining former RHS and APSU teammate Otis Key as a Globetrotter.
Bubba’s retired jersey is on display at the Dunn Center where he is an assistant coach at APSU under the man who coached him in college, Dave Loos. 
Wells has an important tie to TSU athletics. His wife Tracee is the head women’s basketball coach at her alma mater. Remember when she was his fiancée and they appeared together on Deal or No Deal on national television?
Like Bubba, Tracee is a former star player at the school where she coaches. She has led the Lady Tigers (formerly the Tigerbelles) to a remarkable turnaround since taking over a 1-25 team after the 2004 season.
There's already been strong interest in the men’s coaching position, Athletic Director Teresa Phillips has said, much stronger, in fact, than when the recently fired Cy Alexander was hired six years ago to replace Nolan Richardson III.
"The interest so far has kept me completely busy," Phillips told The Tennessean. "I can't answer my e-mail or my phones and our assistants in the office are taking constant calls."
Alexander posted a 67-106 record at TSU and was fired a couple of weeks ago after the Tigers lost four consecutive games and seven of eight.
Having a husband-wife duo as head basketball coaches would get Tennessee State national publicity, but it also might create problems for Phillips if she sometime decides it’s time for one of them to go.
We’ll be watching to see if TSU decides to Deal or No Deal with Mr. and Mrs. Wells.
Russellville High School  dodged a bullet recently when Glasgow High School hired a new football coach who is not named John Myers.
Although no one has told me this officially, my educated guess is that Glasgow made a strong pitch to get Myers, who doubles as principal and head football coach at RHS.
The Myers family has ties to that area. John’s wife Jennifer, who teaches at Stevenson Elementary School, is from Barren County. In fact, Barren County High School came after him in a big way not long after Myers arrived here, and they resisted that temptation.
John and Jennifer Myers  are great assets for the Russellville schools, so it was a relief when it was announced this week that Glasgow has hired Warren Central assistant coach Jason Esters to succeed Billy Lindsey as the Scotties coach. Ironically Lindsey coached Esters across town at Barren County.
Glasgow’s downward plunge last year was shocking. The Scotties had a great season in 2007, including getting edged 38-34 by RHS in a battle between powerhouse programs at Rhea Stadium. But GHS couldn’t beat anybody last year and Lindsey resigned.
Todd Steward  has a major decision to make, but the Bowling Green Daily News reports he has plenty of options.
Steward is in his first season as athletic director at Warren Central after serving as girls basketball coach and softball coach at the school for several years. He is leading the search for a new football coach following the resignation of Bill Cox, who had coached the Dragons to mixed results the past five seasons.
The Daily News says Steward has reviewed over 50 coaching applications from 13 states.
Todd is a former standout basketball player from old Olmstead High School. His wife Jill teaches at Lewisburg. She is the daughter of Logan & Beyond Trivia king Buddy White.
I’ve had respect for Todd since he was a high school roundballer years ago. I had been spelling his name Stewart, rather than the proper  Steward. Over these 38 years writing sports, I’ve been lambasted from all sides, sometimes by rude youngsters. Todd wrote a humble, polite note asking if I would please spell his name correctly. He’s had me snowed ever since.
One time I got a call from Lewisburg player Bubba Grimes about the placement of a story about the Rangers upsetting Olmstead in the greatest year of local basketball, 1974. It was at the bottom of the page, and few people knew I had nothing to do with page layout or headlines in those days.
“I thought you ought to know they’re getting up a petition about you down here. Everyone’s signed it but me and (Coach) Birdwhistell, and I’m not to sure about Bird,” he said.
I’ve never been too sure about Bird myself.
By the way, Bubba (Grimes, not Wells) underwent heart surgery not long ago 
but is recovering well, his sister, Patricia Bogle, tells the LIJ