It is a new era for Hancock County boys basketball, as Tanner Pruitt was recently named the program’s next head coach. Pruitt spent the past four seasons at Daviess County as the JV head coach and a varsity assistant.
“It’s an absolute privilege and honor. The administration welcoming me and my family from day one was great,” Pruitt said. “I love the community and absolutely love the hustle of this team. The second we started talking, they asked if they could get in the gym that afternoon. So, there’s a lot of grit and a lot of fight in these guys, and I am excited to lead them.”
A former high school player with Henderson County and then later Webster County, Pruitt forayed into the coaching world as just a 21-year-old in the 2020-21 season. Invited to join Quaid Girten at Union County, Pruitt spent two seasons with the Braves as their JV head coach and as a varsity assistant.
With his family in tow, he moved to Owensboro and joined Daviess County for the 2022-23 season. It was during his second year with the Panthers that Pruitt realized that becoming a varsity head coach could be in his future.
“I was blessed with Coach Hayden, Coach Payne, Coach Ferguson, and Coach Fisher this year, so four head coaches on the same staff,” Pruitt said. “I was the young guy with his hair on fire and a lot of energy. Coach Payne told me, ‘hey man, you may be able to do this’. A lot of belief was poured into me, and I finally got the opportunity.”
In his first official stint as a head coach, Pruitt plans to bring what he considers a fun style of basketball.
“It will be more modern. More threes, layups, and more intense defense, and getting after it,” Pruitt said. “Fast practices, a lot of energy, and a lot of togetherness. That is the type of culture I hope to bring. That’s what sold me on Hancock. You have a small community that is all bought in. That was the plan I put in front of them, we were aligned, and that is what got me here.”
