Legendary Lower Richland coach stepping down as school’s athletic director
State champion basketball coach Debbie Wardlaw is stepping down as Lower Richland High School’s athletic director at the end of the year.
Wardlaw, formerly Stroman, took over as AD in the spring of 2016 after a successful run as the Diamond Hornets’ girls’ basketball coach. At the time of her hiring, she was only the 10th female athletics director in the state.
The Columbia College alum won 482 games and seven state titles, including four straight from 2006-09. Lower Richland is one of only five girls’ basketball programs in the state to win four titles in a row. In 2015, Wardlaw was elected to the S.C Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
During her time as AD, she helped hire boys basketball coach Caleb Gaither, who led the Diamond Hornets to the 2017 state championship and football coach Rodney Barr, who led LR to back-to-back playoff appearances.
According to the job posting, Lower Richland is looking for a fully certified teacher and someone with a minimum of five years’ experience in athletic coaching, preferably as a head coach.