Trion High School has proudly announced the promotion of veteran coach Matt Swanson to the helm of the Lady Bulldogs basketball program. With an impressive coaching career spanning 26 years, including 23 years dedicated to girls’ basketball, Coach Swanson brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to his new role.

“Trion High School is extremely proud to announce the promotion of Matt Swanson to the role of Lady Bulldogs Head Basketball Coach,” an official statement from the school read. “THS looks forward to this exciting new chapter in Lady Bulldogs Basketball. Coach Swanson brings a true wealth of knowledge of the sport and has a tremendous basketball background spanning over 25 years.”

Swanson, who is beginning his 27th year in education, all within the special education classroom, has accumulated over 200 career wins as a head coach. His extensive resume includes significant stints at multiple programs across Northwest Georgia.

His coaching journey began as an assistant at LaFayette High School under the tutelage of legendary coach Craig Parrott. After three seasons, he joined his high school coach, Jay Williams, at Northwest Whitfield. Swanson then returned to LaFayette Middle School for the 2002-2003 season, serving as head coach for both boys’ and girls’ teams.

In 2004, he was promoted to Head Varsity Girls Coach at LaFayette High School, a position he held for 10 seasons. During his tenure, he collected over 120 wins, highlighted by an impressive 18-5 season in 2007, where his team secured the sub-region championship with a perfect 10-0 record.

In 2017, Swanson took on the dual role of Head Girls’ Basketball Coach and Athletic Director at Gordon Central High School in Calhoun. He is credited with leading the Gordon Central program to its first-ever state playoff appearance in the 2017-18 season. Under his leadership, the team qualified for the state playoffs all four years he served as head coach (2017-2021). He continued as Athletic Director until 2022.

Coach Swanson is no stranger to Trion, having spent the past three years as an assistant girls’ basketball coach, assistant volleyball coach, assistant middle school football coach, and head middle school baseball coach. This familiarity is expected to provide a smooth transition for the Lady Bulldogs.

“Trion is a special place that I am blessed to be a part of,” Swanson stated. “I enjoyed working with Coach Brown the past three seasons and consider him a great friend. Building a relationship with our girls in our program over the past three years has helped speed up the transition. They know what to expect of me and understand what I expect of them.”

Beyond the court, Coach Swanson has been married to Kesha Swanson for 26 years, who is beginning her 29th year as a teacher at Gilbert Elementary. Their 23-year-old son, Landon, recently married and is starting his second year teaching 5th grade at Gilbert Elementary. Their youngest son, Hayden, 21, will graduate this spring from GNTC and will assist the Lady Bulldogs program with social media responsibilities.

“I am looking forward to being the head girls’ basketball coach at Trion High School,” Swanson concluded. “We will continue to build on the success we have had over the past five seasons. Go Dogs!”

Trion High School extends its congratulations to the entire Swanson Family and looks forward to the continued growth and success of Lady Bulldogs Basketball under its new leadership.