Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Hodge joins KABC Court of Honor

Last March for Women in Local History Month, Lady Rockets coach Shannon Hodge was featured in a Crittenden Press series highlighting her service to the school, community and beyond. Last week, the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches (KABC) affirmed her contributions.

Hodge was named to the KABC’s Coaches Court of Honor. Raised and educated in Crittenden County, Hodge was a sports star from the beginning. She played on some of the earliest and winningest girls’ basketball teams in Crittenden County history. She went on to have a successful collegiate career at Centre College in Danville, where she was a Division III All American.

For the past 30 years, Hodge has been a fixture in Marion as the Lady Rocket basketball coach where she’s won just seven shy of 400 games and won unprecedented small-school championships in the Second Region. In 2011, Hodge guided CCHS to a berth in the Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16, its only appearance in the KHSAA state tournament. This year’s team won Hodge’s eighth All A Classic regional crown and its second straight Fifth District championship.

No other woman in high school basketball’s Second Region has ever coached longer and had as much success as Hodge, who just completed her 30th season as Crittenden County High School’s girls’ basketball coach. That ranks her among the longest tenured coaches in Kentucky, only a handful of them women. 

She is the winningest female coach in Second Region history, yet her successes on the hardwood pale in comparison to what she’s done in other areas. Her values, character and respect for others have given Hodge the tools necessary for shaping others and molding new leaders for this community and beyond. Hodge has touched the lives of countless local young women, inspiring and engaging them in athletics, character building and life skills. 

“Years ago, I had the opportunity to play on a powderpuff football team with Coach Hodge. Her love of all things sports is only eclipsed by her love of coaching and nurturing young ladies into becoming strong, focused leaders,” said Marion’s first female Mayor D’Anna Browning. “Shannon's legacy extends beyond the basketball court, because this is what happens when you prove to a young lady that she can do absolutely anything she sets her mind to.”

School Supt. Tonya Driver said Hodge, who retired from teaching last year, has been a role model for students and student-athletes.

“Shannon's induction into the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches Court of Honor is a proud moment for all of us here in Crittenden County Schools, and it's another indication of her commitment and dedication to the youth of our community,” Driver said. “For nearly three decades now, Coach Hodge has served as a role model both in the classroom and on the court for countless children. This honor signifies the caliber of her character and the passion she has for teaching, coaching, and mentoring. We are certainly proud of our Rocket.”


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