Jeffery Chatman is leaving DeSoto to become the new head coach for the state champion Fort Worth Boswell girls basketball team, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD announced Wednesday.
He replaces John Reese, who retired after leading Boswell to a 39-2 record, the Class 6A Division II state title and a No. 16 national ranking (per MaxPreps). Boswell reached the state semifinals for the first time since 1977 and beat Fort Bend Hightower 51-42 in the state championship game as sophomores Sydney Durrah and Seleste Massey combined for 33 points.
Chatman was at DeSoto for only one season, guiding the team to a 20-17 record and fourth-place finish in District 11-6A. He has a career record of 362-134, according to EMS ISD.
“I am particularly drawn to Boswell because of its rich history of success in athletics and the supportive community that surrounds its program,” Chatman said in a statement. “My goal is to create a program that not only excels in competition but also prioritizes the development of well-rounded individuals.”
Chatman started his coaching career in 2008 at Del Rio High School, where he was an assistant for boys basketball, football and track. After spending five years at Del Rio, where he was the head coach for girls basketball his last season there, Chatman coached for two years at Lubbock Estacado and then compiled a record of 277-63 in 10 seasons at Cibolo Steele.
At DeSoto, Chatman took over a program that reached four Class 6A state championship games in a five-year span from 2019 to 2023 and that won back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022. Even though DeSoto lost four nationally ranked recruits who all transferred before last season, Chatman led a young team to the third round of the 6A Division II playoffs.
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