Dedra Adler, one of the longest-serving coaches in Russellville women’s sports history, has resigned as teacher and coach at RHS and accepted a teaching position at her alma mater, Logan County High School.
She tells The LoJo that she will be collaborating for grades 10-12 in English and science. “Logan County High is home to me. I am really excited about the opportunity of making new relationships, new memories, and giving back to the school that helped mold who I am today. I am excited about working with some of the people that were my teachers and getting to know those who weren’t there,” she says.
She was D.K. Basham when she was a standout basketball player, first for Lewisburg Middle School, then LCHS (Class of ’99) and finally junior college in Illinois.
She has been head girls basketball coach for the Lady Panthers for eight seasons, beginning in 2005. Her teams won 86 games, including 41 in the Fourth Region and 17 in the 13th District. She went 11-11 against Logan County, beating the Lady Cougars at least once in seven of those eight seasons. RHS beat Logan twice last year, despite the great depth LCHS enjoyed.
Russellville didn’t have enough high school players to have a full practice without Adler or one of her assistant coaches—her husband Todd and long-time coach Roger Daniel—dressing out so they could go five on five.
The Lady Panthers’ best season under Adler was in 2007 when they went 15-14 and went to the regional tournament along with Coach Lex Lindsey’s state contending Franklin-Simpson team. Adler coach her team to region two seasons ago when the Lady Panthers upset Logan 47-39 in the district tournament. That team had a super senior class that included Chloe Elam, post player Rachae Daniel, and forward Caitlin Reeves (Burchett).
She developed some outstanding players, including Elam, who played on state honor squads after her graduation in 2007, and six-year starting point guard Amber Sydnor, who will play for Campbellsville University this winter. Another 2013 graduate, Kesi Neblett, a post player who could have helped make the Lady Panthers a regional contender, gave up high school sports her last two seasons to attend the prestigious Gatton Academy at WKU the past two years. Neblett will play Division I volleyball at Columbia University in New York City this year.
The Lady Panthers return another outstanding post player this year in senior Khalia Hampton.
“There are people in the Russellville School System I will forever be grateful to like (former principal and new central office administrator) John Myers, who took a big chance when he hired me, and (long-time secretary to the superintendent) Ann Mosier, who was such an influence in my becoming a teacher,” Adler says. “Over the years I have developed many great relationships both with people I have worked with and with the players I have coached. They provided many memories that I will forever cherish!.”
Dedra Adler doesn’t know if she will be coaching at LCHS. She says she will be glad to talk with new Lady Cougar basketball coach Finley Woodard when she returns from vacation, but there are no plans for her coaching now.
Adler has three children, including one of the best middle school athletes here in daughter Brea Croslin, who had already transferred to Olmstead Middle School before her mom was employed by the Logan County Schools. Brea started on the RHS varsity softball team as a sixth grader.
Dedra’s husband, Todd Adler, who is also a former outstanding athlete at LCHS and who helped coach softball as well as basketball at RHS, is also returning to his alma mater as a middle school assistant football. He works full-time for Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative.
Another former assistant coach at Russellville Middle School is returning to Logan County sports. Michael ‘Pooh’ Elliott, who was one of the original Logan County football players in the mid-80s, will also be a middle school assistant football coach. It will be his first coaching at Logan since he had to give up his high school football coaching role when his dad, Michael Elliott Sr., was elected to the Logan County Board of Education.
Head coaches of girls teams in the local schools are changing. Matt Tipton, who had coached Lady Panther track for 40 seasons, retired along with his wife Connie at the end of this school year. Former Lady Cougar Brandy Nuyt Trimble has replaced Greg Meacham as Lady Panther softball coach. Alex Watkins is the new RHS soccer coach. Veteran Lady Cougar basketball coach Scot MacAllister retired and Woodard, a member of Logan’s first-ever basketball team when she was Finley Baird, was chosen as his successor.