The Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee (BCAT) along with the National High School Basketball Coaches Association (NHSBCA) are pleased to announce the induction of BCAT Hall of Fame member and current Executive Director Bruce Slatten, of Sparta, into the NHSBCA Court of Honor Hall of Fame class of 2024. Coach Slatten is the first coach from Tennessee inducted into the Court of Honor.
The NHSBCA Court of Honor was established in 2012 and honors three coaches from around the country each year. Coaches are selected by the NHSBCA Board of Directors based on coaching career, contribution to coaches and players, and overall contribution to the game on the state and national levels. Honored along with coach Slatten were Johnnie Carter of Texas and Jim Tracy of Illinois. Inductees were honored July 10, at the Court of Honor luncheon held at the NHSBCA convention, in Nashville.
Coach Slatten started his career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee Tech University, in 1989, where he was in charge of player development and strength and conditioning. While there, he worked with future NBA draft picks Milos Babic, of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and John Best, of the then New Jersey Nets.
Coach Slatten coached 23 years as a head coach with a record of 512-234. He served as head coach at six different schools: Perry County, Cleveland, Crockett County, White County, Culleoka, and Moore County. He guided Perry County, Cleveland, Culleoka, and Moore County to appearances in 13 district championship games, winning 11 district championships. His teams also appeared in 10 region championship games, winning six. His teams reached the Sectional/Sweet 16 level 10 times and reached the state tournament Elite Eight five times and the state final four three times.
He led Perry County to the state tournament Elite Eight in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997. The 1995 team was 28-3 and led the state in scoring, averaging 86.2 ppg. The 1996 Perry County team finished as State Runner-up with a 30-3 record. His 1997 team, led by future Indiana All-American and NBA first round pick Kirk Haston, finished 37-0, which included winning the State Championship.
He led Cleveland to the 1999 Sub-state (Sweet 16) with a 22-10 record.
His 2007 Culleoka team reached the State Tournament for the 1st time in school history, advancing to the Final 4 with a 31-7 record. The 2008 Culleoka team also reached the Sectional/Sweet 16 round. The 2009 Culleoka team finished 30-2 and lead the state in scoring defense at 36.1 ppg.
In 2011, 2012, and 2013, he led the Moore County girls to the Sectional/16 round.
He had the honor of coaching five Mr. or Miss Basketball finalists:
He coached over 30 players that played at various levels of college basketball and was named District Coach of the Year nine times. and he is the only boys’ coach to be named Mid-State Coach of the Year three consecutive years, 1995, 1996, and 1997, by the Nashville Tennessean, and was named state coach of the year, in 1997, by the Nashville Banner. He was inducted into the BCAT Hall of Fame, in 2021.
In 2007, he helped found the Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee, along with many great coaches who have helped the BCAT grow into what it is today. Starting from scratch, in 2007, on a golf course, in Trenton, Tennessee, by several coaches, the BCAT has grown to over 900 member coaches from across Tennessee in 2024.
Since taking over as BCAT Executive Director in 2014, Coach Slatten has been instrumental in:
In 2022, he organized the BCAT All-Academic team program. Coach Slatten has organized and directed one of the best coaches’ clinics in the southeast, featuring many of the top college and NBA as speakers attended by over 500 coaches yearly from Tennessee and across the Southeast. He has also been at the forefront of working with the TSSAA leadership to further help promote basketball and support the great coaches of Tennessee.
Coach Slatten also represents Tennessee with the National High School Basketball Coaches Association (NHSBA) and has been on the ground floor of establishing NCAA men’s and women’s basketball recruiting events in Tennessee, including the BCAT Top 100 and the BCAT HOOPFEST Team Camp.
Coach Slatten and his wife, Beth, have two sons: Will and Grant. They reside in Sparta.
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