Reed Keeton to lead Decatur County Middle girls basketball team

Reed Keeton’s return to Decatur County Schools is being framed as more than a coaching change. It is a local investment in the girls basketball pipeline at Decatur County Middle School, where leaders say his roots, school experience and community ties could help strengthen a program that reaches families across Parsons, Decaturville, Scotts Hill and Bath Springs.

Decatur County Schools announced that Keeton will lead the Decatur County Middle School girls basketball team for the 2026-2027 school year. The move gives the Panthers a coach who grew up in the county, graduated from Riverside High School and later continued his education at the University of Tennessee at Martin Parsons Center. School leaders said he and his family have made their home in the community, a detail that makes the hire resonate beyond the gym.

Kodi Beck, the middle school principal, said Keeton’s passion for the game, commitment to students and strong ties to the community make him a good fit for the role. That kind of connection matters in Decatur County, where school sports often depend on parent turnout, booster support and visible involvement from the people who know the program best.

Keeton said he wants his team to play hard, stay aggressive and build a reputation for relentless effort. He also said the program will soon take part in several fundraisers around the county, signaling that the job will include more than practices and games. For families, that means the new staff could bring more visibility to a team that already serves as an early stop on the path from youth sports to high school athletics.

The coaching move also ties into Keeton’s earlier work in the district. A June 22, 2024 Decatur County Schools profile said he was teaching science and social studies at Parsons Elementary while serving as an assistant coach with the Riverside boys basketball program for three years, including work with the junior varsity team and the varsity team. That background gave him experience in the school system before he was tapped for the middle school girls job.

Decatur County Middle School sits at 2740 Hwy. 641 South in Parsons and serves grades 5-8. The school opened in August 2000 after students from Decaturville Elementary and Parsons Junior High School were consolidated there. With Jackie Arnold and Dawson Jowers helping him settle into the role, school leaders are presenting the hire as a chance to give the program continuity while building new energy ahead of next season.