Troy Allen leaving Mt. Juliet to be Green Hill's first boys basketball coach

Nashville Tennessean

The Tennessean's 2020 high school boys basketball coach of the year will have a new address next fall.

Mt. Juliet coach Troy Allen resigned Monday after 16 years and accepted the same position at Green Hill, the new Wilson County high school set to open in Mt. Juliet this fall.

Allen told his team Monday morning.

"I'm not running from anything," Allen said. "It's been so good to me. The basketball program has been successful. It's just an opportunity after coaching for 26 years to start a new school and do something a little bit different."

Mt. Juliet head coach Troy Allen, pictured here during a game against Beech on Feb. 4, 2020, has resigned to take the coaching job at the new Green Hill High School in Wilson County.

Allen will likely coach a big portion of his old team at Green Hill.

Rising Mt. Juliet seniors rezoned for Green Hill have the option to remain at Mt. Juliet as they are grandfathered in. Freshmen through juniors rezoned for the new school must go there or have a zone exemption approved.

Mt. Juliet went 29-3 this past year and won the District 9-AAA and Region 5-AAA tournaments before reaching its second Class AAA state tournament in three years. The Bears are 84-14 during the past three years.

Allen said the Green Hill gym isn't yet completed. Goal posts are installed. The gym floor has not been put down.

"It's moving along well," Allen said. "It will be ready by Aug. 1."

Allen's resignation means Mt. Juliet will have new coaches in both boys and girls basketball next fall. Chris Fryer resigned as the girls coach.

Westmoreland High head coach Cherie Abner yells in the second half against Grainger High during the Class AA quarterfinals of TSSAA BlueCross Basketball Championships at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. March 6, 2015.

Abner named girls coach

Former Westmoreland girls basketball coach Cherie Abner, who has most recently been the Mt. Juliet Middle boys basketball coach, has been named the Green Hill girls basketball coach.

Abner won 462 games at Westmoreland and never had a losing record at the Sumner County school. Former Tennessee State women's basketball coach Larry Joe Inman, who was an assistant for Mt. Juliet's girls basketball team last season, will join Abner at Green Hill.

"What I figured out was me coaching boys, I treated it just like high school," Abner said. "I have recharged with this (coronavirus). I decided I wanted to be at this level.

"I have a lot of work ahead of me. I know that. But we can build a good solid program. Hopefully, it won't take too long to get off the cuff."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.