BY MATT VINES, Red River Parish Journal

EAST POINT – Trey Pittman wanted to prove to himself that he could coach boys basketball.
The highly successful girls coach from Riverdale Academy and Minden High answered a phone call in 2020 with Providence Classical Academy athletics director David Duhon on the other end.

Pittman said he surprised Duhon by saying he’d be interested in coaching basketball at the Bossier Parish school, and three years later (and three district championships and one state title game appearance), Pittman more than answered the question of whether he could succeed in the boys game. Now he’s back in his old stomping grounds, coaching the boys and girls at Riverdale.

“(Duhon) and I had some battles on the basketball court, and I respected him – that was a key factor in coming back to coach (at Providence Classical),” Pittman said of ending his 15-year absence from the sidelines, although he wasn’t completely away from the sport as he officiated games. “I had to educate myself on the newest trends with the Xs and Os, but I’m still pretty old-school on practices.
“I still plan it all to the minute, and we work on fundamentals daily.”

When you coach both the boys’ and the girls’ teams, that means double the practice and double the planning.

Pittman orchestrates four hours of practices combined each day, preparing the Rebels and Lady Rebels separately, devoting ample time to each team.
That’s paid dividends in his first season back at Riverdale – where he coached the girls from 2001-04 with a 105-16 combined record while becoming the first Class A school to win the overall Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) championship where Riverdale competed against members of all sizes.

“I do love girls basketball because the girls absorb everything you tell them and play so hard if you can get them to buy in to what you’re doing,” Pittman said.

The Lady Rebels (13-2, 4-0 MAIS District 4-2A) are on the cusp of winning a district title with four district games this week.

Riverdale starts today by hosting Central School before welcoming Northeast Baptist on Tuesday with trips to Union Christian and Briarfield on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

The Lady Rebels have double-digit wins against all of these opponents this season.
Briarfield is expected to offer the stiffest test after Riverdale scored a 14-point home win earlier this season.

While four wins won’t mathematically clinch a district title, it’ll all but put the necessary distance between Riverdale and the field.

But led by stout guard play and ever-improving post players, Riverdale has its sights set on more than just a district crown.

“We’re a young team with three sophomores, one junior and one senior … but I feel like we are rounding into a more of a complete team every day,” Pittman said. “Our guards (Mary Claire Jones, Hanna Huddleston, and Jadyn King) guard hard and have a good basketball IQ.

“I cannot help but smile when I think of the improvement of our ‘bigs’ (Madison Chamberlain and Makayla Pickett) – who aren’t that big. They have improved more than anybody on the team, and their interior passing is beautiful. This team prepares for every game like a state championship, and I feel like they will be playing into late February in Mississippi.”

The boys’ team is making strides, checking in at 4-7 but with a 2-2 mark in district play.

The Rebels, who got a late start in basketball preparation because of football season, have won two of their last three games heading into the four-game slate this week.

That almost included a win against second-place Claiborne Academy, whom the Rebels led late in an eventual 58-49 loss.

“They are so athletic and physical, but I’m still trying to figure out rotations and what works best for them defensively,” Pittman said. “The biggest obstacle is their confidence.

“That effort against Claiborne Academy made a believer out of me.”

Ryder Huddleston is the leading scorer and rebounder for the boys, with Tanner Carlisle also averaging double figures.

Doing double duty as a coach hasn’t been easy, particularly since Pittman had spine surgery this past July.
But in addition to giving everything he has to his players, seeing the tradition of Riverdale basketball on the gym’s walls (some of which Pittman accomplished as a coach in his previous tenure) fuels him to do everything in his power.

“I was concerned about coaching two teams – and rightfully so,” Pittman said. “It has been very tough to give them both everything I have energy-wise.
“But being back in that gym many times (since I left) to officiate games, I still love it and love to look at the history. It’s so beautiful.”

Travel in the MAIS is less than ideal for Pittman (and his spine), with trips just this week to far-flung areas in northeast Louisiana (Union Parish and East Carroll Parish). Still, Pittman is a strong advocate for Riverdale’s fit in the MAIS culturally.

Some former MAIS members (Glenbrook) have found success in a move to the LHSAA, but some (River Oaks) decided to rejoin the MAIS after a recent move.

“I love the culture and environment of the MAIS, and I’ve coached in both leagues,” Pittman said. “I believe it has to be viewed as the entire athletic program and not just one sport.”