Whites Creek hires Jamonte Graham as boys basketball coach

Whites Creek has hired Jamonte Graham as boys basketball coach, the school announced Thursday.

Graham takes over for Jeremiah Crutcher, who led Whites Creek to the semifinals of the TSSAA Class 2A state tournament in March before leaving for Fisk.

"We are thrilled to welcome coach Jamonte Graham to the Whites Creek Cobra family," Whites Creek principal Brian Mells said. "Coach Graham’s dedication to excellence, passion for player development, and insight into what it takes to reach the next level will undoubtedly drive our players to excel."

Graham, who played football and basketball at Father Ryan, served as an assistant at the school as well as Lighthouse Christian prior to his arrival at Whites Creek. He's the brother of Lipscomb Academy football coach Jamie Graham, who took over the Mustangs position last December.

"My goal is to move the program to the next level, but we must first embrace every challenge, push our limits in practice every day and work together with a shared vision of excellence," Jamonte Graham said in the release.

At Father Ryan, Graham led the Irish to the 2012 Division II-AA state tournament. He played as a freshman Tennessee State before transferring to Columbia State his sophomore year. He finished his college career at Cumberland.

Graham inherits a program that was 25-6 last season under Crutcher, who was named the men's basketball coach at Fisk last month, replacing former Georgia Tech and NBA player Kenny Anderson, who resigned in April after six seasons .

The Cobras' state tournament appearance was the first since 2018 as Whites Creek finished third in the District 8 standings with an 8-4 record behind East Nashville and Pearl-Cohn.

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Whites Creek hires Jamonte Graham as boys basketball coach