South Gibson girls basketball hires Brentwood's John Wilkins as coach
John Wilkins returns to West Tennessee girls basketball after spending two years at Brentwood High.
South Gibson is bringing state championship pedigree to its girls basketball program, hiring John Wilkins to replace coach Catie Embrey, according to a post on the school's Facebook page. Wilkins comes to the Lady Hornets after two years leading Brentwood girls, but previously coached McKenzie boys for 15 seasons, the final four of which were spent also leading the girls program. Wilkins and McKenzie won consecutive TSSAA girls basketball state titles in 2022 and 2023.
"My family and I are excited to join the SGC family and become part of a program that has established itself as a real contender in AAA basketball," Wilkins said in a news release. "There is a rich basketball tradition and strong culture here and I'm grateful for the opportunity to invest in these student athletes, this program and this community in the years ahead. " More: Meet the Tennessee high school all-state girls basketball teams for 2026 Wilkins was 35-23 in his time with the Lady Bruins, reaching the Region 5-4A semifinal in his first season, while he went 102-18 with McKenzie girls, earning BCAT Coach of the Year in 2023.
Wilkins is one of four TSSAA basketball state champions in his family. His father Mitch recently retired after 50 years in coaching, the past 14 of which were spent with Gibson County girls, which he led to titles in 2019 and 2024. Wilkins' brother Mark, former boys coach at South Gibson, won a state title with Independence boys in 2024 and recently stepped down to accept a administrator's role at Page.
His other brother David won a state championship this past March with Huntingdon girls. "We feel very fortunate to have coach Wilkins join our Hornet family," athletic director Mark Dunn said. "His track record speaks for itself in terms of his ability as a basketball coach.