Kuhl takes over Potts Camp basketball
Brent Kuhl knows full well the reputation of Class 1A basketball in north Mississippi, and he is embracing his role as the new head coach at Potts Camp.
He is already busy conducting summer practices and coaching his Lady Cardinals and Cardinals in summer competition.
“When this job came open, it was a no-brainer,” said Kuhl, 44, a Ripley resident who has spent the last two seasons at Mantachie. “It's closer to home, and I can be a part of a really good 1A school. There are a lot of very good 1A teams around here, and it should really be competitive and lots of fun.”
He is a graduate of Ripley High School and the University of Mississippi. He started his coaching career as an assistant at Blue Mountain High School. He then worked at Ripley and Middleton, Tenn., before coaching both the varsity boys and girls at Hickory Flat from 2015-2021 and then going to Nettleton for two years as girls coach prior to the job at Mantachie. At Middleton, as an assistant coach,
he helped lead the girls to a 36-0 record and state championship. At Hickory Flat, his Lady Rebels won three district championships in a row and made it to the third round of the state playoffs twice.
At Potts Camp, Kuhl will coach varsity and junior high basketball, girls and boys. He said he is excited about working for Potts Camp High School Principal Ayesha Brooks, who he said is doing “a great job” at the school. The 2025-2026 season will be his 20th year in coaching.
“My teams are going to play extremely hard on defense,” said Kuhl, who is evaluating the talent he has on hand. “That's what I preach. Defense first, and then on offense, I like for my teams to play fast and get out and run.”
Potts Camp teams will compete in Region 2-1A with H.W. Byers, Blue Mountain, West Union, Ashland and Hickory Flat.
“That's six highly competitive 1A schools – boys and girls,” he said.
Kuhl said he will be setting goals with his Potts Camp teams and creating a positive team culture.
“You have to be consistent in what you do every day,” he said. “You have to build chemistry. We want to compete for district championships, make the playoffs and make a state run.”
He said a very competitive schedule is already in place for next season.
Kuhl is also an officer in the Air National Guard in Memphis, Tenn. He has been in the National Guard for six years.
He and his wife Tonya have two children, Hunter, 19, who will be a freshman at Northeast Community College and play baseball, and Hayden, 18, a rising senior at Ripley High School and a member of the baseball team.