Cleveland High School is proud to announce the hiring of Coach Howard Pride as the new Head Coach of the Blue Raiders Boys Basketball team. Coach Pride brings with him more than 18 years of high school coaching and teaching experience, a deep understanding of player development, and a strong commitment to community and academic excellence.
A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Coach Pride was named Alabama’s Mr. Basketball in 1993 after an impressive multi-sport career at Butler High School. He went on to play as a scholarship guard at Vanderbilt University, where he served as a multi-year starter and team captain, earning SEC All-Academic honors. Despite being drafted by the California Angels for professional baseball, Pride chose to pursue collegiate basketball and later earned his Master’s degree from Trevecca University.
Coach Pride has led and developed basketball programs across Alabama and Tennessee. At the collegiate level, he served as an assistant coach at Tennessee State University (TSU), Howard University, and Belmont University. He worked as Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He most recently served as the head coach at East Hamilton High School.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Pride to Cleveland High School,” said Principal Bob Pritchard. “His reputation as a leader, mentor, and motivator aligns perfectly with the values of our school and athletic program. We look forward to the impact he will make on our student-athletes and the broader Cleveland community.”
Coach Pride will begin preparing the team for the upcoming season and looks forward to building a strong and competitive program rooted in excellence. His arrival marks an exciting new chapter for Blue Raider basketball.