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Livingston-native returns home to build a lasting legacy

Lesley Smith Riddle is the TSSAA Title IX Trailblazer for the week of June 21, 2022.

Lesley Smith Riddle was born in 1971, a year before Title IX was passed, in Livingston, Tennessee. Riddle was always interested in sports, playing youth minor league baseball with the boys in the neighborhood as a preteen with her friend Elizabeth Maxwell “Max”, who explained that she and Lesley ”were the only two girls in the league.” Sometimes they were not respected as players, but that never stopped them from playing the game. In Riddle’s teenage years, she got involved with softball and basketball and continued her passion of playing basketball into her high school years at Livingston Academy. Riddle also played and won two national championships for the East Tennessee Stars (AAU). Riddle led Livingston Academy to win the 1990 TSSAA Girls’ Basketball State Championship, finishing her high school career with 1665 points. She remained humble about her achievements but demonstrated to younger female athletes that they can accomplish anything with hard work and dedication.

After high school, Riddle signed a basketball scholarship with Vanderbilt University, where she majored in mathematics and secondary education. As a Commodore, she advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1993. After graduating from Vanderbilt in the spring of 1994, Riddle took her first teaching and coaching position at Oneida City High School. During her three years at Oneida, she coached the girls’ basketball team to two state semifinal appearances and one substate match-up. For the 1997-1998 school-year, Riddle accepted a teaching and head coaching position at Farragut High School in Knoxville. During her four years at Farragut, she also earned her Masters and Educational Doctorate (EDS) degrees. In 2001, she returned to her alma-mater to take up the coaching reins at Livingston Academy.

Riddle was the first female to fill the head coach position for Girls’ Basketball at Livingston Academy. She had previously applied for the position and been turned down in favor of a male candidate, but reapplied and took the job the next time it opened. After six and a half years in the classroom at Livingston Academy, Riddle became assistant principal, serving in that capacity for two and a half years. In the fall of 2009, she was hired as principal and remained in that position until the spring of 2018. She continued to serve as the head girls’ basketball coach throughout her career at Livingston Academy. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools in Warren County and a fellow Livingston Academy graduate, shared that he started as an assistant principal at the same time as Lesley Riddle. “Lesley was a little older than I was, but she was a legend with her being a former champion in 1990 with the Lady Wildcats and continuing their wins to this day.”

Riddle has had a very successful program throughout her coaching career. Swallows expressed that “Riddle bled blue and white, she stayed true and loyal through the tough times, and never stopped displaying resilience for her team and school.” To date, Riddle’s girls’ basketball teams have earned seven state tournament appearances, winning the state championship in 2004 and earning the runners-up trophy in 2009. Her childhood friend and teammate, and current Livingston Academy Athletic Director, Elizabeth Maxwell, explains that “Lesley epitomizes the female role model. She has garnered many accolades in her career, from a 1990 State Champion at Livingston Academy, to the coach for Livingston Academy girls’ basketball with the most wins with 500.” Riddle also has the distinction of being the first female to win the state championship as both a player and as a coach at the same school.

The Lady Wildcats team and the community have always been supportive of Riddle, especially after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in July of 2013. Livingston Academy hosted cancer awareness games and many other awareness rallies. During her chemo and radiation treatments, Riddle only missed two games due to sickness and led her team to the state tournament in 2014. Riddle has been cancer-free since 2018.

Lesley Riddle has 28 years of coaching experience with an overall record of 637-303. She has been at Livingston Academy for 21 years, and just this February earned her 500th career win with the program. The passage of Title IX when Riddle was a toddler allowed her to grow up with the opportunity to be included in team sports. However, she still had to overcome challenges to be respected and admired as a female role model. Riddle never stopped being a supportive team player, and she even has a customized Tennessee license plate that writes out “TEAMWRK” to advocate for it. She is present to lend a hand, or even a shoulder to cry on, for the girls that she coaches over the years. Riddle always puts the team first, and her athletes and their families always support each other as one.

While her life is very busy during the school year, Riddle still manages to enjoy boating, skiing, hiking, and many outdoor adventures with her husband, Tim. She never let the hard times keep her down and she always found positivity in the little things life has to offer. Currently, Riddle works with the Overton County Board of Education (OCBOE) as the Federal Grant Administrator and is still living the dream as head coach at Livingston Academy.

Riddle’s coaching accomplishments:

Her hardwork and dedication is recognized by these well-deserved awards and accomplishments, but what made her career worthwhile and meaningful for Riddle was the many young athletes she had the opportunity to lead and positively impact. Riddle was always a strong female coach in the male-dominated sport of basketball. She never let the other coaches interfere with the goals she set for the female teams she led. Maxwell goes on to say: “Riddle has molded countless young ladies at Livingston Academy into strong young women through her own trials and tribulations, especially beating cancer herself. She is the epitome of Title IX.” We salute Lesley Smith Riddle as this week’s Title IX Trailblazer.

MURFREESBORO ? It's just personal for Livingston Academy coach Lesley Riddle.

This Lady Wildcats team is like her child. Not many know the time she spends with it, caring for it, trying to nurture it. Few feel as strongly about it than Riddle.

The 22-year coaching veteran choked up talking about her players and their experience this year just after Livingston Academy's 62-52 Class 3A TSSAA girls basketball state championship loss to Jackson South Side on Saturday at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center.

LIVINGSTON ACADEMYHow Livingston Academy moms share state championship legacy

"It does mean a lot," Riddle said. "I'm deeply connected to this program. These girls mean so much to me. This community means so much to me. To see them up there in the stands and the love they showed this program has meant everything."

Riddle walked into her postgame interview session with her four all-tournament players, including sophomore Ellie Butler, who had a game-high 26 points for the Lady Wildcats (29-8). Riddle fought back tears for three seniors, Bailey Allred, Halle Ledbetter and Aleah Melton. The thought of losing three cornerstones to the Lady Wildcats' re-emergence on the state stage was almost overwhelming.

"For a team that started a preseason prediction of being fourth in our district, it's pretty good to have a state tournament silver ball," Riddle said. "It's really hard, right now, to be proud of it but as the years past, they will be."

Riddle has been through the best of times with the program and its toughest. She was also a part of the program's first state championship team in 1990 as a player. She returned as its coach in 2001 and that first year won 28 games. Her second year, the Lady Wildcats captured the Class 2A state title over McMinn Central.

"This is my baby," Riddle said. "I couldn't wait to get back home to coach. I can't explain it. I'm so proud of our baby."

In Riddle's first 14 seasons, Livingston Academy won 370 games and averaged 26 wins a season. But the program also suffered three straight losing seasons, none tougher than the 2018-19 season when the Lady Wildcats were 9-22. They followed up that season with a 14-16 campaign in 2020.

"I told them also, in the locker room, there were some dark times in the past," said Riddle, who has more than 650 career wins. "All three of these seniors have lived through a losing season and the underclassmen don't really understand but it was embarrassing. You walked out with a Livingston Academy jersey on, and it didn't mean anything.

"But it does again."

Through much of the 1990s, Livingston Academy was winning, or at least playing for, state championships. It won titles in 1990, 1994 and 1999 and was runner-up in 1993, '96 and '98. Riddle signed with Vanderbilt and was part of the Commodores 1993 Final Four team

Riddle scored over 1,600 points in her high school career at Livingston Academy and had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the 1990 title game. She pulled the program out of the slide last year with 20 wins in a district that includes York Institute and Upperman — perennial state tournament teams.

"It's been a very grueling process," Melton said. "It's a lot of 'trust-the-process' at times. It's rewarding to be here. I mean I'm upset we lost but in hindsight, we got here. A bunch of teams wish they could've been here. So I'm super proud of the progress we've made from freshman year to now."

And at the center is a coach who spent eight years as the school's principal and says she'll "always bleed blue".

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Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Tennessee in Rupp Arena.

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Two teams that were supposed to be led by veterans — guys that have been through the grind of a college basketball season before — met for the second time in five weeks Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena.

The combined starting lineups consisted of five seniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

Kentucky’s 66-54 victory over No. 10 Tennessee was another collective effort from a UK team still battling injuries and fighting through the uncertainty of this 2022-23 season, but it was those two college newbies who arguably had the biggest hand in the Wildcats’ latest statement win.

Freshman guard Cason Wallace co-led the Cats with 16 points. He had six of UK’s 11 assists, added six rebounds and played all but the final 29 seconds of the first half. That was three days after logging 11 assists and one turnover in a crucial victory over Mississippi State, playing nearly all of that one, too.

Freshman forward Chris Livingston logged the first double-double of his college career — 12 points and 10 rebounds — sparking the Cats with big plays throughout the afternoon and even ripping a rebound away from college basketball’s rebounding king, Oscar Tshiebwe, at one point in the first half. This came three days after his epic second-half performance in Starkville helped push Kentucky over the finish line in a game with major NCAA Tournament implications.

After an unimpressive start to this season, then a resurgence — sparked by a win at Tennessee five weeks ago — and then another disappointing dip with back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Georgia, this Kentucky team appears to have found its way once again.

And it’s the freshmen that have helped drive the latest rally.

Coming into this game, Wallace was fourth on the team in scoring. Livingston was seventh. They’ve both shown flashes at numerous turns throughout the campaign, but — backs against the wall and time running out — both appear to be ready for starring roles down the stretch. It’s been a process.

“That comes with just being more comfortable with the group of guys that you’re out there on the court with,” Livingston said. “Building chemistry. When you’re closer with your teammates, you’re able to hold the guys that you’re with accountable. Because you know that they’re not going to take it personally — it’s going to be constructive. So I feel like that’s just a testament of how much closer we’re getting.”

This week started with Kentucky on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, according to some bracketologists. Before Wednesday night, the Cats had a 1-7 record in Quad 1 games, an important measuring stick for March Madness consideration. Now, the Cats are 4-7 in such games. They beat Mississippi State and Tennessee, and a previous victory over Texas A&M is now considered a Quad 1 win as the Aggies’ surge continues. And UK has two more opportunities for Quad 1s next week — at Florida on Wednesday and home against Auburn on Saturday — in games that the Cats are likely to be favored.

If the first win over Tennessee down in Knoxville saved this Kentucky basketball season, the one Saturday afternoon in Lexington possibly showed that this UK team is still capable of making a run in March.

In the first meeting, the Cats fell into an 8-0 hole out of the gate, rallied ahead in the first half but were locked in a close one until finally putting away the Vols at the end.

On Saturday, the Cats jumped on Tennessee in the first few minutes, building a 10-2 lead and never looking back. By halftime, Kentucky led by 20 points, dropping 39 on the nation’s No. 1-rated defense and giving up only 19 on the other end. The Vols never got within eight points the rest of the way.

It was UK’s first regular-season sweep of the Vols in 11 years. Afterward, the UK freshmen were talking points.

Livingston has now scored in double figures in three of his last four games, tallying nine points in the other one. He had just two double-digit scoring performances in UK’s first 23 games.

Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes was asked to opine on Livingston’s expanded role in recent weeks.

“I’m not sure what Cal was thinkin’ early in the year,” Barnes quipped. Laughter ensued. John Calipari and Barnes are close friends, and the Tennessee coach was clearly taking a playful jab at his counterpart, going on to explain that — as the season progresses — roles change, injuries happen, and players are given an opportunity to find their own niche.

“And I think he has,” Barnes said of Livingston. “He impacts the game. That’s one thing for certain.”

Wallace isn’t on the best shooting run of his life. He was 2-for-8 in that loss to Georgia last weekend. He was 1-for-13 at Mississippi State on Wednesday night. He was better, but still just 6-for-14, against the Vols. He’s a combined 0-for-15 from three in those games.

But with Sahvir Wheeler out — the senior point guard missed his fourth straight game Saturday — Wallace has taken over the playmaking role and run with it. Against Mississippi State, he had one turnover in 38-plus minutes. Against Tennessee, he went nearly 33 minutes of game action — from the 13:41 mark in the first half to the 55-second mark of the second — without committing a single turnover.

“And they’re a team that turns you over,” Calipari noted. He then critiqued various elements of Wallace’s game, clearly holding the projected NBA lottery pick to a higher standard, just like he has with past Kentucky players he thinks have blindingly bright futures.

“He is such a great kid,” Calipari said. “He takes all the shots I throw at him. It doesn’t faze him. He knows I care about him. I love him.”

Other Kentucky players stepped up, too. Tshiebwe tied Wallace with 16 points. Jacob Toppin made some big baskets, finishing with 11 points. Lance Ware provided a spark off the bench (as did freshman Adou Thiero).

But Wallace and Livingston were top of mind afterward.

Tshiebwe smiled widely at the mention of Livingston ripping that rebound away from him.

“I like how Chris is doing,” he said. “He’s a beast right now. We really need that from him.”

The reigning national player of the year also likes Wallace’s approach.

“He’s doing really good,” he said. “I love his attitude. Cason, no matter how he’s (shooting) … his attitude is always the same. He knows he’s a good player. He just stays focused. He’s making good plays. Even if he doesn’t score, he’s creating shots for people, and he defends.”

With Wheeler out for a fourth straight game, senior guard CJ Fredrick out for a third, and Calipari still clearly intent on shortening his rotation as much as he can, Wallace and Livingston are being pushed into bigger roles.

Wallace played 39-plus minutes Saturday. Livingston played 36.

“So we’re playing a lot of minutes,” their coach said. “But I’ll tell you, they never stopped fighting. They fought the whole time.”

Kentucky at Florida

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

TV: ESPN

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Kentucky 18-9 (9-5 SEC), Florida 14-13 (7-7)

Series: Kentucky leads 108-41

Last meeting: Kentucky won 72-67 on Feb. 4 in Lexington

This story was originally published February 18, 2023, 5:40 PM.

Travis Fannon

The talent has always been there, but the true force and determination of this Wildcats basketball team seems to have finally emerged.

Saturday’s home rematch against the No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers was a matchup that Rupp Arena was eagerly anticipating, packing the stands prior to the opening tip off.

Entering the game having already defeated Tennessee in Knoxville, John Calipari and his team knew that they would have to be perfect, especially after the Vols’ win over No. 1 Alabama just prior to the rematch.

Looking closer at specific Wildcats, Chris Livingston is a player that has always earned minutes throughout the season but had yet to truly become a true focal point of Calipari’s team.

That said, with the loss of CJ Fredrick to injury, Livingston was forced to step up into a much more demanding role, tasked with playing for the majority of several games and being charged with defending some of the most athletic players in the conference.

Livingston opted to make the most of his opportunity though, putting up consistent numbers both offensively and defensively.

Entering the game with a 47% field goal average and 89 total rebounds, Livingston has since become a true small forward, a position that requires height and a solid mix of driving to the basket and finding open spots beyond the arc.

Livingston showed out against the Vols, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds, his first career double-double in the first game of the season in which he recorded a double-digit rebounding total.

Calipari was impressed by the freshman, hinting that his increased amount of game time and contributions were due to his heart and intensity during practices.

“He was doing it in practice and then you gotta have a demonstrated performance in the game,” Calipari said. “He’s now that guy. Now part of it is that CJ (Fredrick) is out, but the way that he is playing now, people coming back are gonna be fighting for minutes too because he needs to be on the court.”

Livingston demonstrated proficiency in nearly every aspect of the game, knocking down his only attempt from three, registering an assist and coming down with seven defensive rebounds and three offensive rebounds.

Despite all of that, arguably Livingston’s biggest advantage on the court is his intelligence that Calipari continues to credit him for and his ability to stay mentally tough and dialed in on the game.

“Being able to be locked in with your teammates and the calls that they call, you know, understanding the game plan, learning the scheme on defense and things like that is being locked in,” Livingston said.

Livingston was not without any flaws in the win however, as he did struggle from the free throw line. That said, his performance was an outlier from an otherwise solid team display from the line.

Livingston’s 3-7 from the charity stripe marked the second-lowest percentage on the team, with only Antonio Reeves shooting worse (1-4).

While that could have been a hindrance, the positive from the situation was his willingness to attack the basket and draw fouls. As a career 81% free-throw shooter, it’s likely Calipari would rather he draw fouls with the risk of not making them as opposed to playing passive.

Seeing 36 minutes on the court, finishing with a positive 16 as his plus/minus while on the floor, Livingston continued to prove to Calipari that he is capable of contributing to the success and chemistry of the team.

“That comes with just being more comfortable, being more comfortable with the guys that you are out there on the court with,” Livingston said. “When you’re closer to your teammates, you’re able to hold your own with the guys that you’re with, because you know they’re not going to take it personal, they’re gonna be constructive.”

Entering the home stretch of the regular season, the Cats are still fighting for a place in this year’s iteration of the NCAA tournament, though Livingston remained humble, saying he just wants to win games and is oblivious to the “quadrant win” system.

“To be honest, I don’t even know how it works,” Livingston said. “I just know that we have to win. Just trying to win as much as possible. Talking about ‘quad wins’ and things like that, like I don’t even know what that means. Just trying to win.”

With just four games left in the season, Livingston and the rest of the Cats are slated to do battle with the Florida Gators in Gainesville with hopes of securing another conference sweep.

Tip-off from Gainesville is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. EST and will air live on ESPN.

We sat down with Kevin Livingston to talk about his new catering business, The Pop Up Chef. After devoting years to the restaurant industry, Livingston took the lessons he learned and branched out to bring his creativity to catered events. Livingston talks with us about how he got started and what the future has in store.

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself and what made you switch from physical restaurants to a catering business?

A: My name is Kevin Livingston, and I’m a resident of Fairview, TN. I’ve been in the middle TN area since my early 20’s after growing up in Mississippi. I made the switch to launch my chef-for-hire business after working through Covid. I had been in restaurant management for a few years, and I worked through the shutdown at the beginning of the pandemic. After getting the restaurant back open for physical service, I noticed there was a lack of guests but a high volume of to-go orders. After talking with many guests, I found that most were afraid to dine indoors as they didn’t feel comfortable. So the Pop Up Chef was created to bring a restaurant experience in the comfort of the client’s home

Q: What was the most valuable lesson you learned in the industry and how do you incorporate it in what you do now?

A: The most valuable lesson I have learned is listening to the guests. The ones that are regulars tell you what they want and it’s important to listen to them and enact. I incorporate it in my business by being flexible and creating things custom to them.

Q: What is your favorite dish to make?

A: My favorite dish to make would probably be the Apple Cider & Rosemary Pork Tenderloin. It has such incredible flavor, and with the fig chutney it really sets it off

Q: How often do you change the menu?

A: Although I have the set menu, I do customize very easily. My goal is to keep the staples, but add in new selections each season.

Q: Did you also create your cocktail list?

A: My cocktail list is custom to a certain package. I was a bar manager and I spent time as a bartender in the past. When someone books the package with a speciality cocktail, I create it based on a flavor compile desired by the guests. From there, I try to use seasonal ingredients as well as local spirits since Nashville has many distilleries.

Q: Do you have a type of event that you like to cover best?

A: I love any kind of celebration. Whether it’s a birthday or special event. I feel the mood is always different when a client is celebrating something.

Q: How far in advance do customers need to book you?

A: If I have the date available, I am willing to make it happen. I prefer at least a 2-3 day notice for last-minute parties as I need to get all the supplies.

Q: How far do you travel to cater events?

A: I typically only stay in the Nashville/Middle TN area. I have done dates from Nashville to Columbia and all the local areas in between.

Q: Do you plan on opening your own restaurant or are you content with the catering aspect?

A: I can see it down the road, but for now I’m loving this concept. It allows me to “play” restaurant without the major overhead.

Q: What do you want your customers to know about you, your business and your dishes?

A: I want customers to know that when they book The Pop Up Chef, they are getting a dining experience. I have worked in all areas of the restaurant, and I bring all those experiences to the dinner party. Not only am I cooking the food, I’m setting the table, serving the food, and cleaning up. In between each course, I try to visit with the guests if they are wanting that as well.

Learn more about The Pop Up Chef at thepopupchef.net.