CULLMAN, Ala. – It’s been a remarkable run for Coach Tammy West and the Cold Springs Lady Eagles. Since arriving as the varsity girls’ basketball coach in 1992, West has led the Lady Eagles to 754 wins, seven county championships, eight Final Four appearances and four state titles and now she’s excited to take on a new challenge. West was officially named the next head coach of the Cullman Lady Bearcats on March 10 and even though she hasn’t had a chance to spend a lot of time on campus yet, West has enjoyed a warm welcome and is looking forward to getting started with her new team.
“I haven’t had an opportunity to spend a lot of time there since I’m still teaching at Cold Springs through May, but it’s been a very warm welcome from everyone that I have met, from the superintendent to the principal and the athletic director,” West said. “I’ve received texts from the coaches on staff there and I did have a meet and greet with the parents and the players that played last year so that was very good. Everyone seems super excited for us to get started and right now we’re really looking at just trying to build a staff which we really can’t start until we get into May. With me not being there it’s been hard; I’ve been working on the schedule and summer planning and things like that, and we’ve just about got everything finished as far as that goes. I’ve been watching film obviously and they had a successful year last year. I’m just looking forward to building on that success and hopefully improving on what they did last year.”
One of the biggest differences West is already navigating is scheduling. She’s putting the finishing touches on the schedule for the upcoming season and she’s already becoming more familiar with the teams the ‘Cats will be competing against.
“There’s a huge difference in your scheduling,” West said. “I had to get with some coaching friends and get a lot of new contacts so that’s been the biggest difference, just getting to know some of the other coaches in Birmingham and Huntsville where we are going to be playing a lot of those teams.”
Leaving her position at Cold Springs wasn’t an easy decision for West. Her family has been intertwined with the Lady Eagles basketball program for decades and West knows there will always be a strong connection between her family and the Cold Springs community.
“The fortunate thing for me is I will always have those relationships with those people there. The last 33 years have been the best years of my life. My whole family was involved in everything that we did at Cold Springs and obviously a piece of my heart is always going to be there,” West said. “The love and support that I’ve been given over the years there is just second to none. It’s just family and we’ll be forever connected. With the memories we have and the love that was shown to us, it’s just been an honor to be part of the Cold Springs community.”
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