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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 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

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An already daunting task for the Kentucky men’s basketball team on Saturday has become even more difficult.

UK — 10-6 overall, losers of two straight SEC games and already 1-3 in conference play — traveled to Knoxville for a rivalry matchup at No. 5 Tennessee (14-2 overall and a perfect 4-0 in league play).

The Wildcats will have to try to pull the upset over the Volunteers without sophomore forward Daimion Collins (left foot) and senior guard Sahvir Wheeler (left shoulder). A tweet from the UK men’s basketball Twitter account listed both players as day-to-day.

News of both players’ injuries was first reported on UK’s pregame radio show in an interview with UK head coach John Calipari.

It was later reported on the pregame radio show that Collins suffered a sprained ankle earlier this week.

This news came as a surprise less than an hour before tipoff, especially given that Kentucky’s two biggest injury concerns for the game will both play.

Calipari said Jacob Toppin — who has per-game averages of 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 15 games played this season — will play after missing this week’s home loss to South Carolina with a right shoulder injury.

Additionally, Calipari said Cason Wallace — who is one of three UK players to play in all 16 games so far this season, and the only Wildcat to start all 16 — will play for the Cats after leaving that South Carolina game with back spasms.

Both Toppin and Wallace will start for the Cats against Tennessee.

Here’s a look at the starting lineups that UK has used for all 17 games so far in the 2022-23 season.

The Cats have used eight different starting combinations.

Howard: Cason Wallace, CJ Fredrick, Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin, Lance Ware.

Duquesne: Wallace, Fredrick, Livingston, Toppin, Ware.

Michigan State: Wallace, Fredrick, Livingston, Toppin, Ware.

South Carolina State: Sahvir Wheeler, Wallace, Fredrick, Toppin, Ware.

Gonzaga: Wheeler, Wallace, Fredrick, Toppin, Oscar Tshiebwe.

North Florida: Wheeler, Wallace, Antonio Reeves, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

Bellarmine: Wheeler, Wallace, Reeves, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

Michigan: Wheeler, Wallace, Reeves, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

Yale: Wheeler, Wallace, Reeves, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

UCLA: Wheeler, Wallace, Reeves, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

Florida A&M: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Ware, Tshiebwe.

Missouri: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Ware, Tshiebwe.

Louisville: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

LSU: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

Alabama: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

South Carolina: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Collins, Tshiebwe.

Tennessee: Wallace, Fredrick, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

Here’s a look at Kentucky’s win-loss record this season by starting lineup.

Lineups are listed in order of total games played.

4-1: Wheeler, Wallace, Reeves, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

2-1: Wallace, Fredrick, Livingston, Toppin, Ware.

2-1: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

1-1: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Ware, Tshiebwe.

1-0: Wheeler, Wallace, Fredrick, Toppin, Ware.

1-0: Wallace, Fredrick, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

0-1: Wheeler, Wallace, Fredrick, Toppin, Tshiebwe.

0-1: Wheeler, Wallace, Livingston, Collins, Tshiebwe.

This story was originally published January 14, 2023, 11:48 AM.

The Southwest Tennessee Development District held its annual meeting with legislators on Thursday, and county and city executives in Haywood County took the opportunity to let state leadership know about their frustrations with how slowly the movement for the Memphis Regional Megasite is happening.

Bob Rolfe, the state’s Commissioner for Economic and Community Development, reported to the representatives on the Zoom meeting that the 36-mile wastewater pipeline that would go from the Megasite to the Mississippi River had gotten its needed property easements for installation.

Rolfe said Governor Bill Lee had hired Gresham & Smith consulting services to look at the overall Megasite situation to see its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Rolfe said the results of that study should be available in 60 or 90 days.

Brownsville Mayor Bill Rawls and Haywood County Mayor David Livingston let Rolfe know their frustrations with the process and how slowly it’s moving.

“We’ve missed out on past opportunities that have gone to other states, and what hurt us is that we’re not shovel ready,” Rawls said. “We’ve got the easements for the pipeline and the money has been budgeted for it. Plus some of the materials are already in place and ready to go.

“The pipeline is what we need, and we need it as soon as possible.”

Livingston gave an impassioned speech discussing campaign promises from Lee when he ran for Governor in 2018 about how he was committed to finding a tenant for the site and wanted to change West Tennessee economically. He also talked about how study after study has been done on the site.

“We’ve had company after company do study after study to tell us the same thing every time – that we’re not shovel ready and we won’t be until the pipeline and other infrastructure is installed,” Livingston said. “And in the end, all we’ve done is paid out another $100,000 or $200,000 and gotten nothing different done other than kicking the can down the road.”

Livingston ended his statement with a list of things he wants Lee to do in the near future: Put the pipeline in the ground now, aggressively market the site for an automobile plant that would generate the number of jobs that would transform West Tennessee’s economic development the way they’ve been touting, offer an incentive package to companies that look at the site that they can’t refuse and specifically address his immediate plans for the Megasite in his upcoming state of the state address.

Rolfe said he would take Livingston’s requests back to the Governor whom he said had taken a greater interest and wanted to be more hands-on with the project since the pandemic began and wants to make sure the state gets as good a return of investment as possible on the project.

“Sir, I guarantee you the investment will be worth it because I’ve heard criticisms of the workforce in West Tennessee,” Livingston said. “But our workforce is enough in quantity and quality to bring an automobile manufacturer here, and we’re just asking for West Tennessee to be treated on an equal level with East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee. Because I hate to put it this way, we feel like the stepchild the way we’re treated right now.”

Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 731-425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.

Livingston-native returns home to build a lasting legacy

June 21, 2022

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.