Shane Slate recently announced the end of his legendary career after nearly three decades at North Surry High School.
“Fifty-eight seasons, including 47 as a varsity coach, seems like a long time, but it flew by and I would do it all again,” Slate said. “The positive experiences far outweighed all the negatives associated with coaching, and I will miss the time I spent in the gym with our teams more than I can express.”
Slate led the volleyball and girls basketball programs to a combined 930 wins with an astounding 72% win percentage. Slate’s teams combined for: two state championships, one state runner-up finish, three regional championships, three regional runner-up finishes and 21 conference championships.
He finished his coaching career with a record of 541-171 (76%) in volleyball, which ranks No. 1 in North Surry history for wins in a single sport and top-5 in Surry County history. Slate also holds the No. 3 spot at North with a 389-186 (68%) record in girls basketball, a rank he shares with fellow Greyhound legend and wrestling coach Eric Jessup.
Slate was recognized as conference coach of the year 17 times. He was also selected to coach the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game in 2019 and led Team N.C. in the Women’s Basketball Carolinas Classic in 2024.
In addition to his coaching accolades, Slate served as North Surry’s Athletic Director from 2001-17 and was the District 7 Representative for the N.C. Coaches Association’s (NCBCA) Board of Directors 2019-23.
As impressive as Slate’s resume is, the coach never put much emphasis on receiving recognition or awards. Instead, he deferred credit and praise to the people that served as his true motivation.
“The students and athletes are why I stayed in the profession so long and enjoyed it so much,” Slate said. “I quickly developed the approach that I did not work for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, Surry County Schools or North Surry, but those individuals who walked into my classroom and gym. I believe that perspective also allowed me to overcome the frustrations that are associated with working in public education. They were who I worked for and as such they deserved the highest level of effort I could possibly give.
“We were working for something together, and that allowed the players and coaches involved in both programs to develop something beyond winning that kept us connected. I have been rewarded with relationships that developed with players and families in the community that have lasted decades. I am so proud of all those who came out of our programs and found success.”
The coach added that he and his wife are still in contact with many of his former players.
A Volleyball Dynasty
Slate got his start at North Surry as a student teacher in 1995. The Appalachian State University graduate served as an assistant coach in volleyball and boys basketball, and that paved the way for his successful tenure as a head coach.
Slate started playing volleyball when he was in high school at Surry Central, then got hooked on the sport by playing with the club team members at App State. At North Surry, then-coach Steve Marion asked Slate to assist with a struggling program due to his familiarity with the sport. Slate served as an assistant varsity coach and head JV coach before taking over the varsity job in 1999.
North Surry went 23-5 in Slate’s first season as head coach, then won at least 17 games each of his first 19 seasons; the Hounds won at least 20 games in 15 of those seasons. Slate won his first conference title in 2004 on a team that finished 29-2.
Slate’s Greyhounds went five years before winning another conference title, largely because they were surrounded by other volleyball powerhouses. This all changed in 2009 when North Surry won the conference championship, conference tournament championship, 2A West Regional Championship and 2A State Championship with a 33-0 record. Courtney Campbell was named MVP of the State Championship, and the 2009 team went on to be inducted into the North Surry Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2009 conference title was the program’s first of nine-straight, during which time the Greyhounds didn’t lose a single league match. It was also the first of four-straight 30-win campaigns for the Hounds. North posted a record of 130-7 from 2009-12.
North Surry went 34-2 in 2010 and 30-3 in 2011, and reached the 2A West Regional Finals in both seasons before falling to the eventual state champion. North Surry returned to the mountaintop by winning the 2A State Title in 2012 with a 33-2 record. Malaya Johnson was named MVP of the championship match.
The Greyhounds continued to make deep playoff runs, even returning to the regional final in 2017, and remained a force in the 2A division for the remainder of Slate’s career.
North Surry had 86 all-conference volleyball selections under Slate, as well as eight players of the year: Kayla Hodges, Kara Hodges, Morgan Bunker (twice), Malaya Johnson, Taylor Hill, Maggie Hawks and Mikaela Johnson. Bunker also finished runner-up for Gatorade Player of the Year.
The Blue and Gold Standard
His volleyball career alone made Slate a future hall of famer, but it’s when you factor in his basketball career as well that Slate joins the conversation to be on the Mount Rushmore for Surry County sports.
“I’ve either played or coached organized basketball since I was 8 years old,” Slate said. “I absolutely love the sport and always wanted to be more than just a fan after my playing days finished. The sport was an important part of my learning experience as I matured, and I felt like I should repay that debt by doing anything I could to give other people the opportunity it gave me.”
Slate took over the varsity girls basketball team in 2002. Unlike volleyball where Slate’s first team won 23 games, his first basketball teams finished 2-21 and 4-21 before flipping to 18-9 in 2004-05.
After suffering 42 losses in his first two seasons, Slate’s team only dropped a combined 41 games over the next eight seasons. He won his first conference titles in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Beginning in 2010 the Greyhounds won seven-consecutive conference titles.
Slate’s basketball teams made the playoffs for two decades straight and only finished below .500 twice following his first two seasons. The Greyhounds made their deepest playoff runs in 2012, 2017 and 2022.
The 2011-12 Greyhounds started the season with 22 consecutive wins and reached the 2A West Regional Semifinal. The 2016-17 Hounds made the program’s first-ever appearance in the 2A State Championship, posting another 22-game win streak that season, but fell to Clinton 59-49 in the title game.
The Hounds returned to the fourth round in 2022 before falling to eventual state champion Salisbury. In Slate’s final season, the Greyhounds won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship as part of a 21-win campaign.
A total of 60 Greyhounds were named all-conference during Slate’s tenure, and five earned conference player of the year honors: Whitley Culler (twice), Malaya Johnson, Mikaela Johnson (twice), Callie Allen and Sadie Badgett. Malaya Johnson went on to be named NCBCA District Player of the Year; she and Culler also competed in the NC/SC All-Star Game.
Five Greyhounds competed in the NC East/West All-Star Game: Culler, Midkiff, Badgett, and both Malaya and Mikaela Johnson.
Greyhound Gratitude
Slate said it would take hours to list everyone he wanted to thank for helping him have such a successful and memorable career. He highlighted a few and added that he hopes those not named understand his appreciation for their contributions.
“Number one and most importantly I want to thank my wife; without her support it would not have been possible for me to put the time into coaching it requires and deserves,” Slate said. “We were in season from August to March with 12 to 16-hour days, took about 5 weeks off before spring workouts and then full summers of camps and clinics, so our opportunities for leisure time were reduced. She was key to developing those relationships with players and families throughout 29 years and was instrumental in helping me deal with the struggles of the profession.
“Second on the list is the players; they continued to put in the time, work, and belief that made the experience so rewarding. Coach Ron King reminded me recently that I said early on that I only saw myself coaching 10 years or so, but the reason I continued to keep coming back was the PLAYERS. They were just fantastic, and they taught me so much about being a better human being. The only difficult part of the decision to retire was telling those rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders that I would not be able to finish their careers at North Surry with them.
“Third is the coaches I have worked with. Admittedly I am not an easy person to work with/for, but I have a certain expectation of the standards we should adhere to. We would not have had the success we did without them, and I cannot express accurately my appreciation for their work and patience.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0