BHS hires Terry as varsity volleyball coach, Bonner to lead boys’ basketball team

Two new coaches will be on the sidelines for Belgreen High School this fall and winter as the open volleyball and boys’ basketball head coaching were filled last week. At the Franklin County Board of Education meeting on June 11, Alison Terry and Will Bonner were approved for the volleyball and basketball positions, respectively.

Terry, coming in to Belgreen from Hatton, was hired to replace Julianna Potts, who resigned as head coach of the volleyball program.

“Coach Terry is coming in and really excited about getting started, and she’s got some good things going already,” Belgreen High School principal Megean Berryman said. “I think she’s going to be a good fit for our program and help build the program.”

Making the move to Belgreen, Terry said, was a good one for her family and they are happy with the transition.

“We had the chance to come to Belgreen, and I love the small school atmosphere,” she said. “I thought it would be a great opportunity for my family, and I’ll tell you that we’re already enjoying it beyond measure. It’s a little slice of heaven.”

Though Belgreen has not yet started volleyball practices, they have had tryouts and Terry has gotten to introduce herself to some of the players. She said she is ready to get to work helping the players improve and improving the program.

“My job now is to help these girls be the best volleyball players they can be. I just want them to work hard and improve every day,” she said. “I’ve gotten to meet some of the athletes and they are very respectful. We’ve had tryouts and we’ve just worked on some of the fundamentals. They’re a great group of girls who were really open to learning the basics. You’ve got to have the basics to play at a high level.

“I just want these girls to work hard, and I want them to best represent their families, their school, and their community on and off the court,” Terry added. “I want to develop a program that this community, this school, and (the players’) families can be proud of.”

Belgreen’s boys’ basketball coaching hire was Will Bonner. A Belgreen alumnus from the class of 2022, Bonner was a three-time Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State basketball selection with the Bulldogs, twice earning First Team honors. He takes over the position from his former coach, Marty Cooper, who resigned at the end of this past school year after five seasons in charge.

“Coach Bonner is, of course, familiar with what Coach Cooper has done the last several years and his system and his way of doing things, but he’s got his own ideas, as well,” Berryman said. “I think our kids are responding to him well. They respect him and even though he’s young, I think he’s going to do a great job.”

Bonner said he is happy to be back at his alma mater and thankful for the efforts of his predecessor.

“It feels good to get to come back and give back to the school that gave it all to me. Belgreen is a special place to me, and I have to thank Ms. Berryman and Mr. (Greg) Hamilton for giving me the opportunity to take the reins,” Bonner said. “I want to thank Coach Cooper for what he did for the program and getting it to where it’s at today.”

Fans of the Belgreen boys’ basketball team can expect to see a fast-paced style of play with Bonner at the helm.

“We’re definitely going to play fast. I love fast-paced basketball,” Bonner said. “The guys have been playing fast-paced all summer and it’s seemed to work out for us. I think they’re picking it up, and I think it’ll put them in a better position to be successful at the end of the day.”

Bonner understand he is young and inexperienced in the role of head coach, but he believes the coaching staff’s youth will help it better connect with the players.

“Obviously I’m young and my assistant coaches are young—one’s 26 and the other is 24, so all of us are quite young together, but I think it matches the energy of the players,” he said. “All of our players are very respectful. They know we’re young, but they’re still buying into what we’re asking them to do, which is all you can ask out of them.”

The new head coach expects his team will be able to compete well. In his debut season in charge, Bonner is setting his sights on a postseason appearance.

“We want to win the area,” Bonner said. “I think there’s potential for us to win the area in a three-team area. First and second place in the area get a subregion, so our goal is to play in the subregion and hopefully get to (the regional).”