Amidst the ongoing Spring sports, a significant event has unfolded at Soddy Daisy High School. The boys Basketball team, a prominent winter sport, is now the talk of the school as their head coach, Bill Eller, announced his retirement on a Wednesday morning, a decision that will undoubtedly reshape the team dynamics.
Eller has coached at Soddy Daisy for seven years, and he has accomplished more than expected. In his Letter of Retirement, he shared what Principal Steve Henry requested from him: “To build a strong, competitive program with order and strong foundations and instill discipline in the program.” Eller goes on to say, “Winning was not mentioned but definitely has become a reward for the implementation of these two factors.”
Throughout the first four years, the team went 32-75, but the last three seasons have brought many wins with a record of 54-32. In the last three years, he led the team to the first winning district record in 19 years, and this past season, the boys advanced to the Region Tournament for the first time in 9 years. Eller reached over 400 wins in his years at Soddy Daisy. He accomplished over 350 at Hamilton Heights, where he coached his oldest son. Following his move to Soddy Daisy, he accomplished his 400th win with his youngest son.
Senior Jonathan Love, who spent four formative years under Coach Eller, reflects on his experience, saying, “It was an amazing experience. It taught me much more than basketball, and it taught me much about caring throughout my life. You could tell he cared all the time because we were fully prepared for every team, and he always had a different practice plan every day.”
Senior Taylor “Bug” Hughes says coach Eller taught him more than just basketball. “He has easily given me the best life advice and has treated me like nothing less than a son. He’s taught me greater values that pertain to more than basketball. Not only has he taught me to be a good basketball player, but a good man as well.”
Even though Coach Eller is retiring, he feels the program is in a good position for the next years, saying, “We have a good core group of players coming back and very good young players coming up.”
In a statement after meeting with the basketball team Wednesday morning, Athletic Director Jared Hensley says the “basketball program has not only improved tremendously on the court, but our entire program is better for his influence.” He goes on to say no timeline has been set to start the coaching search process.
