Matt Ferrell (pictured above) is the program director for Tennessee Rush Basketball. He started the program in 2009 to offer an affordable place for girls in the Upper Cumberland area to excel and develop in the game of basketball. Since then, the program has expanded rapidly and now includes most boys and girls age groups, and over 150 kids per year. He now personally coaches 3 Rush teams, including the 6th, 8th, and 9th grade girls teams. He also coaches jr. high girls basketball at Pickett County Elementary where his teams have finished as James C. Haile Class AA state runner up in 2014, TNT Class AA State Champions in 2015, James C. Haile Class A Back to Back state champions in 2016 and 2017, Class A State Runner up in 2018, and 6th Grade Class A State Champions in 2019. The PC girls have been in the final 4 of the 8th Grade James C. Haile State Tournament 10 consecutive years. In AAU ball, he has coached to two D2 AAU State Championships, an AAU Division 1 state runner-up, and a D2 AAU state runner-up and he coached the Tennessee Rush 7th grade girls in 2013 to the YBOA State Championship in Murfreesboro, TN. He has also took teams to both the Adidas and AAU National Tournaments since starting Tennessee Rush. Most recent trips include New Orleans (2016--5th grade tie for 13th D1 AAU Nationals), Kings Island (2017-- 5th Grade 6th place in D2 AAU Nationals), Rockford, IL (2018--6th Grade 5th place in D2 AAU Nationals), Kinsport, TN (2018--7th Grade 5th place in D2 AAU Nationals). In 2020, his 7th grade (class of 2024) was the AAU D1 State Champions and attended the AAU Nationals in Knoxville, TN!
Josh Agee (pictured above) is the Tennessee Rush 7th Grade girls coach. In 2013, he won a YBOA State Championship in the 4th grade girls division in Murfreesboro, TN. Coach Agee is an asset to the Tennessee Rush program and looks forward to build on the successes he has already had. In 2015, his Dekalb County team finished as the Class AAA James C. Haile State Runner up and the Class 4A TNT State Runner up. In 2016, he coached the Dekalb County girls to a Class AAA James C. Haile State Championship in Murfreesboro, TN. Also in 2016, Coach Agee coached the Tennessee Rush 7th grade girls to 5 tournament championships, including the TN AAU D2 State Championship, and the D2 AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!
Pictured above is Jayna Ferrell. Jayna is the first Rush player to turn coach. She was the first member of the Tennessee Rush 1,000 point club, and also ended her prep career as a top 5 ALL TIME scorer at Pickett County High School where she led her team to two straight TSSAA state tournament appearances, two straight region finals, two straight district finals, one Region championship, and one district championship. She comes to the Rush coaching staff with knowledge well beyond her years from many years playing for some of the best coaches around the area, including Coach Brent Smith (Pickett County), Coach Michael Dodgen (White County HS/TN Flight), and Coach Joey Williams (Livingston Middle School, longtime TN Rush coach). Jayna plans to major in nursing, but will hopefully be a part of the long term success of the Tennessee Rush program. Currently, she is the head coach of the TN Rush 3rd grade and 5th grade girls teams.
Coach Lee Amonett (pictured above) is the current assistant coach with the 8th and 9th grade girls teams. He also is the head coach of the 5th grade Rush boys team. He comes to the Rush program with a wealth of basketball knowledge. In 2015, he helped coach the TN Rush 4th grade girls team that went on to win the Division 2 State Championship! In 2016, the team that Coach Lee assisted with was an AAU Division 1 State Tournament Final Four team and tied for 13th in the nation at the AAU Division 1 National Tournament, and has attended several National Tournaments since then.
Coach Layne Bussell (not pictured) is the current coach for the 7th grade girls team, which finished last year as the AAU D1 State/District Champions and finished #9 in the nation at the 2018 D1 AAU National Tournament in Gatlinburg, TN! Coach Layne also coached the same team to the USAB National Championship in 2018 at Gatlinburg as well. Currently, Layne is an assistant coach to Coach Jamie Gillies at Cookeville High School.
Coach Justin Boatman comes to Rush from a lengthy travel and school ball career. He was over the TN Fury organization at one time in east Tennessee before merging with Trotters for a year, where he assembled one of the best 7th grade teams in the country, ultimately finishing runner up at the D1 AAU State tournament and top 20 nationally. He was the head coach at Grace Christian HS in Knoxville last year and was at Carpenter Middle School for a very successful career there. Coach Boatman will coach multiple age groups in the 2021 season and we are ecstatic to add him to our group of coaches!
Coach Phillip Matthews (not pictured) is the current coach for one of the 9th grade girls team. Phillip and his team won the D2 AAU State Championship in Chattanooga last year and he has also coached middle school teams at Celina K-8 to multiple state championships (one in 8th and one in 6th). He is currently the assistant coach at Red Boiling Springs High School.
Coach Dustin McKinney (not pictured) is the current coach of one of the 10/11th grade girls team. Dustin is the 2019 District 6A Coach of the Year and has led Red Boiling Springs High School for several years. In 2020, his team qualified for the Region 3A tournament!
Coach Mike Johnson (not pictured) will be coaching one of the 9th grade girls teams this year. He has a long history of basketball knowledge and is a valued piece of the coaching puzzle for Rush (he has helped Coach Agee with the 2021 group for several years now). Coach Mike previously coached at York Elementary where he led them to an undefeated season and state championship. Last year, Coach Mike's 2023 team was among the best in the state and look to continue that success this year in 2020!