STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
First-year head coach Josh Pittman has made his mark on Caverna High School boys basketball. In his debut season, Pittman has guided the Colonels to a 23-7 record, an 18th District championship and a spot in the Fifth Region Tournament.
The Colonels claimed their first district title since 2015 with a 48-40 overtime win over LaRue County in the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 28.
During a recent interview on WCLU Radio’s “Coffee and Conversation,” Pittman noted that this year’s team is built around experience and balance. He said the Colonels have nine seniors, with four players averaging double figures and two more averaging nine and eight points per game.
Pittman said he believes Caverna has six players who can step up and carry the team on any given night, and he praised them as “phenomenal human beings” as well as strong basketball players.
Pittman said the team’s success has energized the school and community. He told his players before the LaRue County game that their job was bigger than basketball, asking them to give fans an hour and a half to forget the hardships the community has faced over the past year. He said the way the team has carried itself in tough times has been the most impressive part of the season.
The new head coach brings a wide range of experience to Caverna. Pittman said he grew up in Louisville and started his coaching path as a student assistant at the University of Louisville when Rick Pitino was the head coach. He later worked as a college assistant at Manhattan College in New York City and coached in the Success Academy school system there before returning to Kentucky with his family. Now settled in southcentral Kentucky, Pittman said the community’s passion for basketball has been obvious, recalling fans lining up well before tip off for recent games. He said he feels a good kind of pressure to help take the Colonels where they want to go as they prepare for regional play.
Caverna opens the Boys Fifth Region Tournament on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Elizabethtown at Green County High School.
Key Facts
• First-year head coach Josh Pittman leads Caverna boys to a 23-7 record
• Colonels win first 18th District title since 2015 with 48-40 OT win over LaRue County
• Caverna advances to the Fifth Region Tournament, set to face Elizabethtown
• Pittman brings college coaching background and Louisville roots to Caverna High School
• Senior-heavy roster credited with balanced scoring and strong leadership on and off the court
Listen to the full interview below.
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