Game Changer: How Lacey Buchanon is Breaking Boundaries in Boys’ Basketball

When it comes to basketball, Lacey Buchanon (’17) has never been one to accept boundaries. At just 11 years old, she found herself at basketball practice with her sister, who played on the varsity team for the Jacksonville High School Golden Eagles. Welcomed onto the court by Coach David Clark, Buchanon was soon making her mark. By 7th grade, she was starting for the girls’ varsity team. Four years later, Coach Ryan Chambless took the helm as head coach of the girls’ basketball team, and in the following season, Buchanon and the Golden Eagles earned State Championship rings, with Buchanon being named the 4A State Championship MVP.

After high school, Buchanon played basketball at Gadsden State Community College, where she was named a JUCO All-American. She received a scholarship to continue playing at Troy University before transferring to Jacksonville State University to finish her last year of eligibility and complete a master’s degree in Sports Management. “I chose Jax State because it was home. I grew up playing basketball with a university in my hometown, and it just felt right to end my career there,” she says.

Although she may have hung up her uniform, Buchanon’s basketball journey was far from over.

“I became a graduate assistant for the Women’s Basketball team at Jax State because I wanted to pursue a coaching career at the college level,” Buchanon recalls. In preparation for her role as an assistant coach, she began attending men’s basketball practices. “I would sit and watch their practices to gain ideas. I also started volunteering to coach my nephew for the parks and recreation department at Jacksonville’s Community Center.” Buchanon says this experience was the turning point—the season in which she realized that she not only enjoyed coaching boys, but she was also good at it. “We ended up advancing to the state playoffs, but that was the beginning of COVID, and the tournament was canceled. That group of boys is now approaching their senior year at Jacksonville High School. They were the start of my journey coaching boys’ basketball. Those guys still call me ‘coach’ to this day, and we still work out together in the off-season.”

After some time, Buchanon moved to Texas for two years, but she never lost her connection to her hometown or its people. She stayed in touch with Coach Chambless, who had moved on to Glencoe High School. During a conversation about her return to Alabama, Chambless offered her a spot on his coaching staff, and she didn’t hesitate to say yes. “I had been a fan and supporter of the sport for a while, but I had supported Coach Chambless at every place he had coached, so there was zero hesitation in joining him at Glencoe.”

Buchanon describes the Glencoe team as well-mannered and coachable. “They didn’t care about my gender; they just wanted to be coached hard.” And that’s exactly what they got, with results to show for it. Under Buchanon and Chambless’s leadership, the Glencoe High School Yellow Jackets had their first state playoff run in a quarter of a century, winning the Etowah County Championship, the Area Championship, and the 3A Region Championship, making it to the Final Four. “They were the definition of a hardworking, unselfish, and coachable team,” Buchanon says, beaming with pride. “I’m thankful to Coach Chambless for not letting me give up on sharing my gift of basketball to help coach and develop youth.”

During her time at Jax State, Buchanon was named the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year—a recognition that reflects her lifelong habit of stepping into new challenges. From an 11-year-old practicing with the varsity team to a 7th grader suiting up with 11th and 12th graders she has consistently defied expectations.  Even today, she continues to make school history and break gender barriers in a male-dominated sport.