By Rubin E. Grant
A month after being hired as Homewood’s head volleyball coach, Krimson White was still in disbelief.
“It’s kind of a surreal experience, being the head coach at my alma mater and being a part of one of the top schools in the state and one of the top academic schools in the nation,” White said. “When I sit down and process it, I’m like ‘Wow!’ It’s not many coaches who get this kind of opportunity, especially at 24 years old.”
White was an assistant coach with the Patriots for the past two years. She was a junior on Homewood’s team that reached the Elite Eight state tournament in 2009.
Coaching wasn’t on her radar after graduating in 2011. She went to the University of Alabama, starting out in pre-med because she had designs on becoming a pediatrician. But she wasn’t ready for the demands of such a career, so she switched her major to speech therapy and earned a degree in communicative disorders with a minor in Spanish.
White figured she would have to go to graduate school to work in her field, but she realized she missed volleyball. So, two years ago, she joined the staff of her former high school coach, Carol Chesnutt, as an assistant. White also enrolled at UAB to pursue her teacher certification.
“I didn’t think of myself as a teacher,” White said, “but I went to UAB to get a master’s in science education.”
She finished her master’s earlier this year and was hired as an eighth-grade physical science teacher at Homewood Middle School.
In June, Chesnutt decided to retire and
Homewood didn’t have to look far for a replacement. White was waiting in the wings, but she didn’t expect to succeed Chesnutt.
“I was very surprised when they asked me to take over as the head coach,” White said. “I was still thinking like an assistant coach, wondering who I needed to help on the team so they would be ready for the next coach. And then it turned out to be me.”
As she gets ready to embark on her first season at the helm, White stays in contact with Chesnutt.
“I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now if it wasn’t for her,” White said. “We talk just about every day and not always about volleyball She’s like a second mother to me. She’s even coming to my wedding in Costa Rica in January.”
So, not only will White be a first-year head coach and a first-year teacher this fall, she will be planning her upcoming wedding to fiancé Hunter Revis, who also is a Homewood grad.
“Yeah, when some of my friends find out about that, they’re like ‘Oh!’ I know that’s a lot, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” White said.
Planning for the Season
Meanwhile, White is busy preparing for the Patriots’ volleyball season. She believes Homewood will field a competitive team, even though she could have as many as four freshmen on the roster and three sophomores.
Freshmen Abby Wilson, a setter, and Emma Johnson, a libero, are ticketed for the starting lineup. Sophomore outside hitter Gretchen Kellen and junior middle Alejandra Loo, who White described as an “explosive, do-everything” player, also will start.
Sam Nichols, Erin Beasley and Michia Robinson, all defensive specialists, will provide senior leadership.
White expects her team to play with high energy whenever it takes the court. “I’m a stickler for communication,” she said. “We will be one of the loudest teams on the court and play with intensity.”
Homewood opens the season Aug. 31 at home against Helena. White believes the Patriots can make a deep run in the postseason.
“I’m a firm believer in high expectations,” she said. “I think we have an opportunity to go far. We will play hard and see where we are at the end of the season.” ❖