Rik Anderson returns to lead Happy Valley girls basketball program

Published 6:03 pm Thursday, July 31, 2025

By C.Y. Peters

In a move that has sparked excitement throughout the valley, veteran coach Rik Anderson is returning to the sidelines as the new head coach of the Happy Valley Lady Warriors basketball team.

Born in Honolulu and raised in Carter County, Anderson is a 1978 graduate of Elizabethton High, where he starred in basketball and baseball before earning his degree from ETSU. His return to Happy Valley’s high school ranks marks the beginning of a new chapter — one driven by the same passion that has defined his coaching journey from the hills of Roan Mountain to Warrior Hill. Anderson has been an assistant for Coach Dana Hill for the past five years. Hill stepped down this past week.

After a successful 14-season run coaching boys basketball at Happy Valley Middle, where he guided the Jr. Warriors to multiple championships and was often named Little Watauga Conference Coach of the Year, Anderson stepped away from the classroom after a 30-year teaching career. Yet his impact didn’t fade — he has continued to serve as the athletic director for the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County since 2015.

For Anderson, it’s a homecoming filled with legacy, leadership and unfinished business. With 29 seasons under his belt at both the high school and middle school levels and nearly 500 career victories, his name is carved into the hardwood history of East Tennessee basketball.

Anderson’s coaching résumé is one of consistent excellence. At Cloudland High School, where he led the Lady Highlanders from 1986 to 2000, he compiled a 236-195 record, becoming the winningest coach in program history. His 1990-91 squad — still considered the crown jewel of Cloudland girls basketball — posted a 32-4 record, claimed a No. 3 ranking in the state and made one of the school’s first-ever substate appearances.

Anderson’s accolades speak volumes: Smoky Mountain Conference Coach of the Year three times, District 1-A Coach of the Year and Northeast Tennessee Coach of the Year by the Johnson City Press. But for the players and fans who’ve known him across the decades, it’s the relationships, discipline and heart he brings to every practice that make the biggest difference.

“This isn’t just about basketball,” Anderson said. “It’s about helping young people grow, believe in themselves and come together as a team. God has really been good to me over my coaching career life. He put me with great coaches such as Len Dugger, Charlie Bayless, Mike Rader, Ronnie Snaverly and my stepfather, Jack Lyons. He gave me a wonderful, understanding family with my wife, Scarlett, and children, Alden, Baylor and Cayden. I look forward to the challenge of competing in a strong conference, and even stronger county, watching this great group of ladies grow and develop. I appreciate Dr. Blair and the Carter County school system for this opportunity to do something I love.”

As the Lady Warriors prepare for the upcoming season, they’ll do so under the guidance of a proven winner, a dedicated teacher and a coach who knows how to build champions — on and off the court.