Union County High School girls’ basketball coach Roger Murphy is stepping away; but he isn’t going too far.

Murphy has coached the girls team for the past fourteen years and says the timing is right. Murphy’s tenure was highlighted by winning the district tournament championship in 2015-16, the first for the program in over thirty years.

“I thought it was a good time to step away in order to watch my son and step-son play basketball. My son Cade will be a freshman and Dawson plays at Tennessee Wesleyan,” said Murphy. “Also, the team will be made up of younger players so I thought this would be a good time for a new coach to come in and establish his program.”

Murphy says he will remain at UCHS as a Wellness and PhysEd teacher and coach, and looks forward to watching his boys play basketball. He will continue to assist with girls soccer and has been named the head boys soccer coach this year.

As for future plans for Murphy, he is excited to attend basketball games and watch his sons play. He may also spend time working with younger players to help develop their skills.

Enter Christian Chandler. Chandler was hired on March 2nd as the next Girls Basketball coach at UCHS. A Union County native, Chandler wanted to coach at the high school level. Murphy says Chandler already has coaching relationships with the players coming through the program. This past season, Coach Chandler was the boys coach at HMMS, where he spent the last three years.

“I’m very grateful and excited to be the next Girls Basketball Coach at Union County. It has always been a dream of mine to be a high school head coach, and I couldn’t be happier that this opportunity is in my hometown,” Chandler said. “I love Union County and I’m going to do my best to put a product on the court that the people of the community can be proud of. I’d like to thank Principal Carmen Murphy and High School Athletic Director Shane Brown for this wonderful opportunity.”

Although he will be a first time high school head coach, at only twenty-seven years old, Chandler has held several different coaching positions. He was the HMMS Boys and Girls Assistant (2013-2016), Scott High Boys Assistant (2016-2017), UCHS Boys Assistant (2017-2018), and HMMS Head boys coach (2018-2021).

“I have had the privilege to work under some great coaches, all with different philosophies and techniques. Coach Jeffers at Scott High School and Coach Brown here at UCHS both have a deep understanding of the game, and I learned a lot from both while working under them,” Chandler said. “I feel like I have a good knowledge of the game, and have learned different ways to coach and teach players. But the one person who has taught me the most and who I have spent the most time with is my dad, Coach Gary Chandler. I’m excited that he’s coming to be on my staff at UCHS.”

Christian currently works at HMMS, where he teaches seventh grade math. He is also the assistant golf coach at UCHS. His wife, Madeline, teaches second grade at Paulette Elementary. They have a seven-month-old daughter named Elsie Ruth and a puppy named Stella.

Welcome to Union County High School Coach Chandler!