Shades Mountain Christian honors late coach

Shades Mountain Christian School recently renamed one of its major annual basketball tournaments to honor the memory of beloved coach John Edward Allen, who passed away last summer after a battle with cancer. The Thanksgiving Tournament will now be known as the John Allen Memorial Tournament. 

In the brief five years he served as the school’s basketball coach, Allen had a record of 60-53, which included an Area Championship in 2009-10 and a trip to the AHSAA State Sweet 16 in 2011-12.   

The school has hired Chris Monroe as the new head coach for the boys. Monroe is the Assistant State Director of Youth Basketball of America in Alabama and has coached basketball for the past 10 years. In addition, Blake Laney has been named the head coach of the SMCS girls’ basketball team.