Former Gamecock women’s standout joins state-title winning boys coaching staff
Khadijah Sessions will get her first chance at coaching high school basketball, but it won’t be with a girls team.
The former South Carolina women’s basketball standout is joining the Ridge View boys coaching staff, the school announced Thursday. Sessions replaces Carlos Powell, another USC great who left to take the head coaching position at Wilson High School in Florence.
Sessions will be the team’s junior varsity head coach and an assistant on varsity, plus be in charge of skill development, according to Ridge View coach Yerrick Stoneman.
“I have been waiting on this opportunity for two years,” Sessions said. “A woman coaching men is not regular but I wanted to be one to do it. I wanted to take the hard route. I had plenty opportunity to coach girls basketball in high school and college.
“Ridge View is all about business and coach Stoneman is a great guy and I know I will learn a lot from him. They are a three-time state championship winning program so who wouldn’t want to be a part of that.”
Sessions says she looks up to coaches like Becky Harmon and Kristi Tollivar who worked their way onto NBA coaching opportunities.
Sessions won’t be the first woman on a boys coaching staff in South Carolina. The most recent was Darcie Vincent, who was the head coach for the North Myrtle Beach boys basketball team from 2018-19 and now is at Western Carolina.
“I definitely didn’t look at it as bringing a woman on but someone that has a great amount of knowledge as a player and is building a resume as a coach,” Stoneman said. “When you have Dawn Staley write her reference and how highly she spoke of her, I had to consider her.
“She will be head JV coach and in charge of skill development, which is huge for what we do at Ridge View. A third of our development each day in practice is for individual development. That will help us.”
One of the players Sessions will be working with is rising senior point guard Tyler Rice, a Division I prospect.
“The biggest thing in coaching men is that they have to be able to trust you,” Sessions said. “They are going to see who I am. I am intense and passionate and trying to make them the best player they can be.”
Sessions had a decorated high school career at Myrtle Beach before signing to play at South Carolina. She was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year and also a Parade All-American and finished her high school career with 3,020 points.
At USC, Sessions was a three-year starter at point guard, leading the Gamecocks to three straight SEC regular-season championships. She still holds the school record for most games played in a season with 37.
After college, Sessions played in Finland before returning to the Columbia area. She earned a spot on the roster for the USA Women’s Basketball AmeriCup squad and was part of the gold-medal winning team in 2019.
Sessions works and trains players both male and female at Sony’s SportsPlex in Columbia and also started the S.C. Women’s Pro-Am in 2016. She is head coach of third-grade boys AAU program and was suppose to be head coach of ninth grade team from Upward Stars program before the coronavirus halted grassroots programs across the country.
In addition to Sessions’ hire, former Ridge View standout Cam Lee has been named the school’s B-Team coach. The Blazers are coming off their third straight Class 4A title and will be moving up to Class 5A next year.
