Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Christian School is excited to welcome Clarksville native and Veteran NBA player Trenton Hassell as the new Head Basketball Coach of the championship Lady Centurion Basketball team. Hassell is a distinguished Hall of Fame player for the Austin Peay State University (APSU) mens’ basketball team, and he is one of only seven APSU athletes to have their jerseys retired.
After college, Hassell spent 10 years in the NBA. He was the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft, signing with the Chicago Bulls.
Following his NBA career, he returned to his hometown of Clarksville and has continued to have a tremendously positive impact on the lives of young people and many others in the community.
Among other things, he is well known for his involvement with the Clarksville Sol AAU program.
Coach Hassell will take over the reins of the Lady Centurions team from Coach Margaree King, who was with CCS for four seasons, leading them to three consecutive conference championships. Hassell noted that he is “excited to be at CCS to take over the team and continue the progress that Coach King began”, adding that his goal is to keep “making the program better.”
His experience makes him a tremendous asset to the athletic program at CCS as the school begins voluntary workouts for student-athletes in various sports during the summer, and continues preparing for a return to the campus this fall. The reintroduction of athletic activities is part of Clarksville Christian’s multifaceted plan to reopen the campus on schedule for the 2020-2021 school year.
Athletic Director, Cole Harper stated, “We are extremely proud to have Coach Hassell on board. It’s great to bring in someone from the area whose love for our community shows through his involvement in it. His experience and knowledge of the game will take our basketball program to new heights. We are very excited to begin that process.”
As CCS successfully navigated the ever-changing COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis during the recent school year, they began formulating and perfecting detailed plans for reopening the school safely with face-to-face classes and in time for the August 12th start date for the academic school year.
CCS considered many scenarios to create plans that would meet and exceed the required safety guidelines for conventional classroom settings.
Some of those preparedness initiatives include:
- A COVID-19 Rapid Response Team, equipped to adapt quickly to changing situations affecting the safety of students and staff
- Partnering with Hillyard, an industry leader in environmental cleaning, disinfecting and hygiene products and procedures for healthcare, industrial, food service, and educational settings
- Extensive cleaning and disinfecting of entire campus facilities utilizing the Hillyard CCAP System in preparation of reopening
- Ongoing safety and cleaning measures during the school year for further protection against COVID-19 Coronavirus
The already low student-to-teacher ratio at CCS readily supports social distancing recommendation by local and federal agencies.
Notably, the exceptional flexibility and creativity of the Clarksville Christian School staff, students, and families during the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis afforded the graduating class of 2020 the time-honored tradition of a commencement ceremony on campus while still maintaining COVID-19 Coronavirus compliancy. The event was also broadcast online for friends, family, and staff who were unable to attend.
For more information about Clarksville Christian School, please visit the CCS website at www.clarksvillechristianschool.org.
