Patrick Henry Community College’s Athletic Department welcomes Bassett native, Ariana Covington, as the college’s new head women’s basketball coach.

As the former assistant coach at Bassett High School, Covington joins the Lady Patriots with both coaching experience and a passion for the game.

“I am truly blessed and excited for the opportunity to be the women’s basketball coach at Patrick Henry Community College,” Covington said. “Coaching has been my true passion which I found as a college student-athlete.”

Covington spent her high school years as the captain of Bassett High School’s basketball team. By the end of her senior season, she clinched three notable titles: first team all-district, second team all-region, and second team all-state. As a multi-sport athlete, she also was on Bassett’s track and volleyball teams.

After high school, Covington continued her education at Averett University where she graduated in 2017 with her bachelor’s degree in sports medicine.

“Becoming a head basketball coach and developing student-athletes based on the experiences I’ve gained has been my professional goal. I look forward to having a positive impact on the players, school, and entire community,” says Covington.

The former head coach of the women’s basketball team, Brian Henderson, had been filling both the role of athletic director and coach since 2014. Over the past few years, the college’s athletics department has grown – consistently serving more than 100 students each semester. As the department is continuing to grow, Henderson is relinquishing his coaching position to focus his full attention on his role as athletic director.

“It’s bittersweet for me. It’s great for the college and for our students that this department is growing so much. With so many students and so much growth, I’ve got to give the whole department my full attention,” Henderson said. “But, I still love my team. We’ve been through so much together, and I’ll always be here for them.”

Henderson said he would not have been able to relinquish his title as head women’s basketball coach if he did not have complete confidence in his successor.

“Passion is very important to me, and Ariana has shown us how passionate she is,” Henderson said.” I believe she will continue the positive, high energy, and academics-first culture our team has. She has shown us that her priority is to maintain a program that develops young women in the classroom and on the court, and that fits into our athletic goals perfectly.”

Covington will also take on the role of assistant athletic trainer due to her degree and strength and conditioning background. For information about joining the women’s basketball team, email Bhenderson@patrickhenry.edu.