Wayne Breeden, who has a knack for leading teams to the Sweet Sixteen, is the new boys’ basketball coach at Tates Creek.
Breeden has coached at Owensboro the last two years, and taken the Red Devils to the state tournament both years. In his other high school coaching job, he took Ashland Blazer to the Sweet Sixteen twice, in 1993 and ‘96. The Tomcats were state runners-up to Paintsville in ‘96.
“Why would Wayne Breeden want to come to Tates Creek?” he asked after being introduced as the Commodores’ coach at a Tuesday press conference. “Because we can be the best. We’re going to produce winners on the court and off the court. We want to compete with the best, and we want to go back to Rupp Arena not only as a spectator. We want to go back there as a participant.”
Tates Creek has been to the state tournament only one time in the 42-year history of the school. The Commodores were state runners-up to Fairdale in 1991.
Breeden said he and his family (wife Patti and daughter Jillian) consider Central Kentucky “home.” Breeden has ties to Tates Creek. He did his student teaching at Tates Creek Junior High more than 20 years ago.
Breeden worked on the college level as a graduate assistant under Kentucky coaches Joe Hall and Eddie Sutton, as an assistant at George Mason under Rick Barnes, as an assistant at EKU under Mike Pollio, as a head coach at Lindsey Wilson, and as an assistant at Morehead State under Kyle Macy.
In seven years as a high school head coach he has an overall record of 170-60.
Breeden, a native of Mount Washington in Bullitt County, will succeed Eric Williams at Tates Creek. Williams was a Commodores’ assistant before moving up to replace Joe Pat Covington, who left for an administrative job at Scott County last summer.
