Shakedra Ellison has been named the new head coach of the Greene County girls’ basketball program.
She takes over from previous coach Steven Hopper as she steps into her first high school head coaching opportunity.
Ellison, a former college-level player at Georgia Southern, said the opportunity to lead the Lady Tigers marks a full-circle moment in her coaching career. It’s one she felt prepared to accept after several years of building experience at the middle school level.
“This is the second time the opportunity has come around, and I decided to go ahead and jump on it,” Ellison said. “This is my sixth year in coaching. I spent the last five years at Putnam County Middle School building my foundation, and I felt like I was ready to take it up another notch.”
Ellison graduated from Putnam County in 2014, where she was no stranger to competitive basketball. During her playing career, she helped lead the Lady War Eagles to a Final Four appearance, an experience she still draws on as she transitions to her new role.
“I’m excited to help build the Greene County girls’ culture back up,” Ellison said. “You hear a lot about the boys, but you don’t hear much about the girls. I want to change that.”
Ellison said her foundation for rebuilding the program will center on three core values: unity, discipline, and structure.
“Unity is the biggest thing,” she said. “I know they haven’t had a pretty good record the past couple of years, but just getting these girls to understand that together you can, and together you will create something. That’s what it’s about.”
She also emphasized relationship-building and communication, noting that her experience as a female coach could help her connect with players in a different way than her predecessor.
“I think I’ll be able to relate to them a little bit more,” Ellison said. “But the biggest thing is unity,” she repeated. “Knowing we’re a family and together we can rebuild this program.”
On the floor, Ellison plans to install an aggressive man-to-man defense, paired with a transition-based offense designed to maximize pace and effort.
“Hard man-to-man defense,” she said. “I ran it with my middle school girls, so I know we can do it at the high school level. We’re quick enough to get out in transition, push the ball, and score in transition.”
Ellison said she got her first extended time with the team this week, the first allowed by GHSA guidelines, and already likes what she sees from a group she describes as small but competitive.
“So far, pretty impressed,” she said. “They’re learning me, just like I’m learning them. We’re small, but we’re mighty. It’s not about size; it’s about heart.”
Looking ahead to the summer, Greene County will begin live competition immediately with multiple summer league games, including a trip to Hancock County later this week for two games.
Even in early matchups that may feature tougher opponents, Ellison said the focus will remain on development more so than results.
“A couple of the teams we’re facing are going to be out of our league, out of our division,” she said. “But you can never get enough experience. The more experience, the better.”
Her message to players so far has been simple: compete, improve, and trust the process.
“One percent better each game, each practice,” Ellison said. “Go into every matchup knowing you can beat whoever you’re about to face. It’s a mental thing.”