Stewarts Creek hires Bianca Hensley as girls basketball coach

Stewarts Creek's new girls head basketball coach has been no stranger to success both as a player and coach.

Bianca (Thomas) Hensley has been hired to fill the vacated Lady Red Hawks position after former head coach Lindy King resigned in March to take the same position at the soon-to-open Rockvale High.

"Stewarts Creek is in the most competitive district in the state, which many state championships in the last decade have come from this district in Class AAA," Hensley said. "I was sold on Stewarts Creek due to the resources Rutherford County provides for athletics, community and how truly invested the administration (is) in girls basketball.

"The winning tradition, excitement and culture has already been built. I want to build on their success. I'm very elated to coach in Rutherford County among some of the best teams in the state every single night. There are no guaranteed wins."

Hensley spent the past six seasons as head coach at Lexington, leading the Lady Tigers to a 2015 District 14-AA title. She guided her squad to a Region 7-AA semifinals appearance in 2019, falling 52-50 to Westview to finish the season at 19-12.

Her husband, Martin Hensley, who was an assistant boys basketball coach at Lexington, will also join the SCHS girls staff as an assistant, Bianca Hensley said.

"After lots of prayer, God has directed my husband and I to Stewarts Creek, where we will coach alongside," Bianca Hensley said. "It is a bittersweet moment, due to leaving what I have built in Lexington the past six years, but I'm very excited for a new challenge and journey."

She had a storied career as a player, leading Chester County to a 2005 Class AA state championship before signing and becoming a two-time first-team All-SEC player at Ole Miss.

She was a two-time Miss Basketball winner at Chester County.

She averaged 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists as a senior before being taken 12th overall in the 2010 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She scored more than 1,500 points in her Ole Miss Career and was 10th in the nation in scoring her senior year.

Hensley's Lady Tigers teams went 115-59 during her six years.

King, who came to Stewarts Creek after winning a Class AA state title at MLK in 2015, had huge success in her four years with the Lady Red Hawks, leading them to the 2017 Class AAA state tournament and 2018 sectional.

“Our search was extensive and there were many highly-qualified and impressive applicants," SCHS principal Clark Harrell said. "Hensley’s experience both as a player and coach set her above the rest. I am extremely excited to welcome her to the Red Hawk family."

Stewarts Creek won 20-plus games in each of her four seasons, going 90-32 overall. The Lady Red Hawks finished 21-11 (7-5 in District 7-AAA) in 2018-19.

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.

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