Chad Burgett addresses his team Thursday at Trigg County's postseason awards banquet. Burgett is stepping down as head coach and 33 wins as Wildcat coach.
Chad Burgett is stepping down as Trigg County boys’ basketball coach after three seasons.
Burgett made the announcement at Thursday’s team banquet at the school. He said he is retiring from education and it would have been tough to continue teaching and coaching with his years of service and the retirement formula. Burgett formerly served as an administrator in the Hopkins County School System.
Trigg County 14-14 in the 2021-22 season, losing to Crittenden County in the district semifinals.
It was also a tough season off the court for Burgett, who lost his mother and step-father in the tornado that ravaged Dawson Springs on December 10.
In three seasons under Burgett, the Wildcats were 33-44. Trigg hasn’t advanced to the region tournament since 2016 – the longest streak for the school since the early 1990s.
When Burgett arrived at Trigg County, he put together a staff that included former Hopkins Central star and Georgia Bulldog Albert Jackson and former Hopkins Central coach Toby Miles.
Trigg struggled to find a playing style and finished with an 11-19 record. After the season, Jackson returned to Hopkins County and Miles became the head coach at Christian County.
Trigg was 8-11 in the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season.
The Wildcats averaged more than 60 points on offense just once in three seasons but gave up just 54 points on defense in 2021-22.
Trigg graduates three starters but has a stable of guards slated to return in 2022-23, led by Jhaden Vaughn who led Trigg in both scoring and rebounding as a sophomore.
Burgett is a graduate of South Hopkins High School. He served as an assistant coach under Terry Hayes for one season at Dawson Springs before taking over the head coaching job in 1996. He guided the Panthers to a 13-14 record and the school’s first district title since 1959. That Dawson Springs team was edged by Trigg County in the championship game of the All-A Classic Region Tournament.
He was 46-34 in three seasons at Dawson Springs before taking the Hopkins County Central job in 1999.
In his first season, the Storm was 26-6 and won the school’s only Second Region title. Despite losing all five starters, Hopkins Central followed that up with a 21-9 record and a region runner-up finish. He was 69-27 in three seasons with the Storm before making the move into administration.
After 15 years away from coaching, he returned to Dawson Springs in 2017. The Panthers were 21-40 in two seasons before he took the Trigg County job. His overall record as a head coach is 169-145.
Burgett’s move leaves Trigg County without both a boys’ and girls’ head basketball coach. Cory Coble took the Union County job earlier this month after six seasons at the helm of the Lady Wildcats.
