KNOXVILLE — A former University of Tennessee basketball player will not return as a high school basketball coach next season.
Chris Kesler will not return as West High School’s (Knoxville) boys basketball coach next season.
Kesler, who played for the Volunteers during the 1987-88 season, began coaching at West in 2004. There, he coached his daughter, Crystal, a two-sport athlete for the Rebels.
Crystal, who played volleyball and basketball for West, played collegiately for Belmont.
Chris took over as the Rebels’ boys coach before the 2008-09 season.
He guided the Rebels to their first Class AAA state tournament in 2011 when they reached the state semifinals. The following year, West won the Region 2-AAA championship in 2012 but lost in the state sectionals to Cherokee, which was coached by current Bearden High School coach Jeremy Parrott, who guided the Bulldogs to a Class AAA state title in 2019.