The Cobb Schools’ Athletic Department has selected the latest Coach of the Month (COM) winners. The COM award highlights a female and a male coach doing exceptional work in the District.
In conjunction with the Atlanta Braves and Good Game Atlanta, the winners receive a complimentary one-night stay at Aloft Atlanta at the Battery and dinner from Good Game Atlanta.
“This is a small token of our appreciation for their efforts both on and off the court,” said Cobb’s Director of Athletics, Don Baker. “Coaches teach a full day, and their days are only half over when the bell rings at 3:30. They continue to work with our student-athletes for hours each week, often at the expense of their own spouses and children. We believe we have the best coaches in the state and want to celebrate them as much as possible!”
The winners for January are the Girl’s Basketball coaches from Pebblebrook and Walton. Tina Hadley coaches the Lady Falcons, and Matt Kelterborn coaches the Lady Raiders.
Tina Hadley, Pebblebrook, Basketball
The Lady Falcons are currently on a 7-win streak and 17-9 overall this season. They are 8-1 in region play and recently secured the #1 seed in the Region 2-7A tournament. This is a remarkable turnaround from last year’s 3-6 region record. With only eight players on varsity and five that play 95% of each game, Coach Hadley has taught her athletes how to persevere and push through the most demanding challenges with grace. This is Coach Hadley’s 16th year coaching and her fourth year at Pebblebrook.
“She is the dream coach of every principal in every way,” said proud Pebblebrook Principal Dr. Dana Giles. “She is involved in everything here at the ‘Brook. She gives and invests so much of her personal time, energy, and heart to support our young ladies on and off the court. But she is like that with ALL students. She is completely embedded in the culture of our school in every way. I can’t stress enough how much she means to our staff, especially our admin team. She goes above and beyond every day to support our students at Pebblebrook!”
“Coach Hadley is an irreplaceable asset to our school and athletic department,” agreed Pebblebrook Athletic Director Robert Figueroa. “She is our PE department chair and serves as an extension of the admin team regarding student discipline and other duties as needed. Her leadership is amazing, and it has been an honor to have her on our coaching staff. We are looking forward to the postseason play of our Varsity Girls!”
Matt Kelterborn, Walton, Basketball
Now in his tenth year at Walton, Coach Kelterborn has led the team to a 16-9 (8-2 region) record this year and the #2 seed in the Region 5-7A tournament, which qualifies them for the state playoffs. This will be the first time the Lady Raiders have been to the playoffs since 2011. This is Coach KB’s sixth year leading the program, and they have been steadily improving. He has built the program from the ground up, revamping the junior program during his first year (which is winning at all levels now) and strengthening the high school program a little each year.
“He embodies everything that an athletic director wants in a head coach, both on and off the court,” said Walton Athletic Director Chris Williams. “He leads the entire program, not just focusing on the varsity. He actively works with the junior varsity and middle school teams to ensure that all of the girls in our community get a quality basketball experience and grow into the best they can be as players and young women.”
“Coach Kelterborn is an excellent math teacher, and he works as hard during the school day as he does after school at basketball. He also has the highest levels of character and integrity and works hard to instill these same traits in his players. He’s definitely one of the good ones,” AD Williams concluded with a smile.
Original source can be found here.
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