Russellville High School has announced the hiring of Shannon Booth and the new Head Girls Basketball Coach.
Coach Booth takes over the reins of the Lady Panther program with an extensive and tradition-rich history of girls basketball experience. Most recently, she’s worked as an assistant coach with the Girls program at Russellville. Booth was on the coaching staff of the Lady Panther 2016-17 team that advanced to the Regional Tournament.
Prior to that, Coach Booth worked as an assistant girls basketball coach at Marshall County High School from 2010 to 2014. At Marshall, Booth was a part of three District Championships, three 1st Region Championships, two trips to the Elite Eight and a 110-32 record.
Additionally, Coach Booth worked as Marshall County Head Volleyball Coach from 2010 to 2011 where she led the Lady Marshalls to the 2010 District Championship and a Regional berth both seasons.
Coach Booth was selected by the interview committee made up of new Athletic Director Kyle Yates, members of the administrative team of Russellville JR/SR. High School, and two parent representatives.
The committee took particular note of Coach Booth’s extensive involvement in the developmental programs that feed into high school programs. Booth was instrumental in the development and promotion of the Marshall County Basketball Camp program from 2006 to 2012 and brought those foundation building ways to Russellville where she has been an integral part of the development of the highly successful and popular Russellville Jr. Pro program, which offers young girls in the Russellville/Logan County community an opportunity to develop as players early on.
Coach Booth takes over for Calvin Head, who led the Lady Panthers for the past three seasons, building the program from a two-win team prior to his arrival to advancing to the 4th Region Tournament last season. Shannon Booth is married to Rex Booth, the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Russellville High School, and the two have one daughter. Coach Booth works at Russellville Middle School in the front office and issued the following statement regarding her new position:
“I am eternally grateful to be selected as the head girls basketball coach at Russellville High School. First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving me the love of the game and allowing me to use my purpose to help young ladies achieve success both on and off the court. I also want to thank my family for supporting me and allowing me the opportunity to do what I love.
“I also want to thank the Administration at Russellville High School including Mr. Ben Bruni and Athletic Director Kyle Yates as well as the selection committee for having the confidence to select me for this position. They have put their trust in me to continue building this program and I am ready for the road that lies ahead. I cannot wait to get started with our girls as we begin preparing for the upcoming season.
“I was privileged to have played under Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Howard Beth. He instilled in me traits that I still carry with me and use daily. I've also been lucky to coach alongside some of the best coaches in the state during my career. Each of them has challenged me, pushed me, and helped me along on my journey. Without them sharing their knowledge and allowing me to work alongside them, I wouldn't be where I am at today.
“My vision for the program is simple: Achieve greatness. In order for our program to continue rising, we must be fully dedicated and willing to go the extra mile. We want to compete every year at a championship level, so we must be committed in every aspect. I'm eager and ready to get out in the community and get people excited about Russellville Girls Basketball. I want our younger girls engaged and dreaming about the day they are able to put on the Russellville jersey!”